arctic_myst

While I ponder on a justifiable answer, I will give a great short answer. Where did all of these "god sent" paramedics get their start? I will be taking my NR to be a paramedic shortly, but meantime, as they tell you in class, DON'T FORGET THE BASICS. We all started somewhere, and it isn't where we are now.

Ok let's end this tedious argument. Normal air is not a drug, no. But his question was...can the drug oxygen, by itself, save lives. If you say no...I will wonder what school you went to. It really doesn't matter what I said because you have been arguing two different points as well. The question was simple..and the answer is simple...yes, oxygen by it self can save someones life. end of story. thank you and goodnight.

The question was, does oxygen save lives. the answer is yes. it maintains life everyday for ever living creature on the planet. there was no question about administration or anything close to that. i mentioned the drug controls because you said it was not a drug...technically that is wrong. Oxygen is a drug. you can't even give it on the ambulance without it being included in the standing protocols...doesn't that by definition alone make it a drug. please correct me if I'm wrong, I am all about learning everything i can in this field, and you are helping greatly.

I couldn't agree with you more. ET is still the single best and most secure airway. The ECC guidelines that were just released this last year place tubing on the back burner to making sure we get effective CPR and oxygenation. I still think we need to do everything we can in the time allowed to make sure that person recieves the best care possible. I am sure you would agree. Thanx for the other info ont the King. Greatly appreciated. Later.

Oxygen is classified as a drug. It's administration can help or hurt a patient. It is controlled by the U.S. Pharmacopeia. They say it is a drug. And we all know when we are talking about oxygen, we are not talking about room air.

point well taken...thank you

No we can't, but I am in my last semester of paramedic school, so I just wanted to explain what a medic would do in that case.

Hold your breathe for 4 minutes. See saves lives every day.

Put simply, it does every day.

I would have to say that I would have called ALS. Altered LOC with an unknow etiology...I'm callin in the big guns because there is potential for this to go downhill quick. However, based on your assessment and the fact that you are a basic, I would have to say that you did what you did based on the patient. However, always remember...treat the patient, not the monitor. And by monitor I mean, don't let the vital signs tell you things are ok if you are looking at someone that is not ok. You will find that women do not present with typical signs and symptoms of an MI like men do. Likewise, not everyone will have the same symptoms and signs for any given illness. Take it easy, you'll get better with more experience.

Invalid DNR and being released to hospice care....I don't even load them up til they get a valid DNR. That is what hospice is for. To help them in the last moments of their life. What good does it do to transport them only for the family to panic later and call 911 when the pt. starts to go downhill. Then medics respond and have to work the code because the DNR isn't valid. Luckily ya'll were still on scene. But more often than not, the family panics and calls 911. The medics that don't know what you know will respond and work it. It is our protocol here that we do not take a hospice pt. unless they have a valid DNR. That is one of the first pieces of paperwork we check.

You don't give anything by mouth to an unconscious pt. or anyone with an altered LOC. If they aspirate glucose, it is a bad day for everyone. If they are unconscious, how does he know if they need glucose anyway?? We get the ABC's and then check a blood sugar as well as a few other things when it comes to U/U pt's. If they need the sugar, we give glucose via IV/IO. I hope you let him in on this trade secret. Take it easy.

If you are going to do it, do it all the way. Just make sure you really have the passion for this job. Otherwise all the schooling in the world is useless. That is my only thought. Just make sure you really want to help the sick and injured or dying. It isn't always glamorous. Take care of yourself and good luck.

I forget what company it is but they have a new tube coming out now. It is one single tube, one single air port, and it looks so much easier. You slide the tube in the gullet, fill the balloon for a seal and it is done. It occludes the esophogus and has an airport that sits a few inches above the balloon. When you try to ventilate, if it is difficult, you just back the tube out a little and 9 times out of 10, you end up with a patent emergency airway. Let the hospital worry about the ET's. They have the time and the manpower for that stuff. We don't always have that kind of time. Think about it this way...in a code situation, you need to get an airway, establish IV/IO access, and get a monitor on them before you ever even get to the scene. LMA's and the like are basic airways and can be done by basics. That saves the medic a lot of time.

I would recommend that you do a little research and find the book that is layed out to suit you. There are so many of those out there. You need to have something that is easy for you to search through and keep handy while being out of the way. Some of those things are so thick it ain't even funny. Others aren't alcohol fast or water proof. I recommend a little research.