ERDoc

I don't have any advise on how to improve your driving skills other than to find a big vehicle and drive it as much as possible. It's good to see that TranScare is finally requiring more of their hires. When I worked there, all you needed was a card (ink could still be wet) and a pulse (though I think sometimes the pulse was optional). I guess having to deal with a federal investigation will make you up your game. Good luck and congrats on the new position.

I disagree with this a little. I think they had a duty to act, but I don't think their duty should require them to purposely put themselves in a dangerous situation without the proper equipment.

I don't think you value studies on their outcomes (nor understand how scientific research works) because if you did your view would be much different. There is a growing body of evidence that outcomes (your word) are worse for prehospital cardiac arrests that have some sort of advanced airway. About the only thing that has been shown to be useful in cardiac arrest is CPR (despite your feelings otherwise). Cardiac arrest without CPR survivability=0%. Cardiac arrest with CPR survivability=about 3%. According to the AHA, there are 383,000 OHSCA in the US alone. So, we go from having 0 survivors to 11500 survivors (with variable neurological outcomes). I would welcome a study looking at the differences in outcomes comparing prehospital cardiac arrests who had advanced airways versus those who didn't and were just bagged versus those who just received 15L NRB. I know where I would put my money based on the literature that is already available.

Wow, sounds like a rough night. Sounds to me like someone that could be transferred OTD.

25 in Middle Island looked pretty bad too.

I don't think I ever got a FB message from you, so it must have been someone else.

I've got no problems with it. Spit swapping might go a little beyond my comfort level, but have you seen some of the tranny porn? There are some pretty hot ones...er...so I hear.

So first we see have Sandy, now Nemo. In about a week we will have 2012 DA14. I think with the northeast's luck, it will make ground contact over there somewhere.

Wouldn't it be easier just to send me a friend request or whatever the hell we call them on linkedin?

I started as a CFR in 1992 on LawnGuyland, EMT in 1994, MD in 2003.

The miracles of modern medicine, my Kiwi friend.

No Kiwi, that is NYC. Don't confuse the 3 parts of NYS (NYC, Long Island and upstate). As for the OPs question, it is state to state decision. If there is a state you want to know specifically about, contact that state's EMS office. You can also ask about specific states here as some may have the knowledge.

That wasn't a homeless crazy, that was RichB.

Has anyone seen my MAST pants?

And your 30 years means nothing when you have no idea how science and medicine work, which you have shown in this post. Your attitude of "This is the way we've always done it so it is the way it should always be," is what seperates EMS from medicine. There is a reason we don't do labotomies and blood letting any more and the reason is because of rigorous scientific studies. You are a danger to your pts until you accept this and change it. As for the comment about science being as biased as politicians, I only have this for you:

It's only 2045 here, so yup, I'm awake.

You are not going to get out of it that easy. You have the correct elements now. I think we all agree that there was a duty was owed and that duty was breached. Did that breach result in an injury? Did that injury result in damage? I think it would be hard to make an argument for either of those. Dwayne was not injured and did not suffer any damage as a result. Therefore, there is not a valid malpractice suit. You cannot sue someone for what could have happened. Should anyone who carries a loaded weapon into a building where it is legal (let's put aside the current gun debate of where it should/shouldn't be legal and just assume that it is legal) be arrested because what if their weapon had gone off and hit someone? Now if Dwayne's pain was from an MI and he died, it is a whole different story. An injury has occurred and damage has been done. This doctor is lucky that nothing did happen and sometimes luck is the only thing between being stupid and being malpractice.

Yes, because RSV is a virus and should never be treated with antibiotics so not only was she misdiagnosed but she was treated inappropriately (I joke about the malpractice part but the rest is true).

OK, you partially answered the question. So, what injuries did Dwayne sustain? I think you are confusing two concepts here. I agree that he should not have to pay the bill but there is a difference between not paying the bill and suing for malpractice. Do you really think we should be able to sue anyone for what-ifs? Yes, he should also be held accountable, but there is a difference between holding someone accountable and suing them for malpractice. Again, the four requirements of a malpractice suit are very cut and dry. What are they and where did they happen in Dwayne's case?

Maybe I can haz sum valiumz on my venison.

Speaking as the guy on the medical control end of the phone, I would speak with the guy and get the same story, there is no way I can make this guy go. I don't some magical legal powers any more than you do in the field. Does this guy need to go, absolutely. Can we force him to, nope.

Damn, I missed the civilized world. I need a bagel and a pepperoni pie.

And this is why the US medical system is in such disarray. What are you going to sue them for? If you are going to say medical malpractice, please tell me the four elements for a medical malpractice case and demonstrate them in Dwayne's situation.

It's cool, but did they cut back on fire personnel or apparatus to run this?

This is the anecdotal evidence that chbare was talking about. Have you ever worked an arrest where there wasn't a copious amount of vomit coming up the airway? I have, I have had more like this than I have where there was vomiting (maybe it is just the quality of EMS providers where I am but I doubt that). We are already moving to compression only CPR, I think that in the next few years/decade we may see that for all arrests and not just for layperson. Perfusion of cardiac tissue is the name of the game and they only way to do that is with compressions.