Whoa, whoa, whoa...I disagree with some of my fellow posters I guess, but never run from the fact that you are "only" BLS. Your system may run out of medics -- it happens in a lot of systems...for profit, not for profit country third service, fire based EMS, whatever...medics aren't always around and being able to provide good BLS and first recognize that your patient was in respiatory arrest, start bagging with an OP in place is awesome. I know several medics who probably aren't that on top of their game as much as you are. It sounded like your patient made it to the hospital still with a pulse and still alive and kicking...you weren't the best she had just for the time being...it sounds like to me, you did make the difference for this patient.
We can argue and talk all day about whether or not you should have epi (I would probably argue not since you are in a tiered system), should the system be tiered (I came from this type of system originally, so I tend to favor them), and whether or not our education differs (ALS vs. BLS)...but that day you did your job and delivered a viable patient to the ER for them to provide definitive care to. Remember please, even us Paragods are still human too and can't deliver every patient to the ER alive and well.
If you had a longer transport time of thirty to forty minutes in a more rural area, why not keep bagging, maintaining an airway as best possible and get to the hospital safe (good job slowing down on the unsafe roads)? Epinephrine isn't the be all, end all and while it worked in this case, any experienced medic will tell you it dont always work and sometimes we have to get a little more aggresive with other medications that hospitals give and arent even on many rigs. I don't know if it is available to you in your system but since she had no gag at one point, why not a Combitube or King Airway device. Again, you have an airway secured and you can monitor the patient's cardiovascular status from there. Just a thought, but please don't think we are any better. You were large and in charge on that call it sounds like and quite frankly got a "save."
