Arctickat

Greetings group, some of you may already know me from another EMS message forum website, but for those of you I've yet to meet here's a little info. I own a small EMS service in rural Saskatchewan Canada. I've been in this business since 1978 and have seen many changes over the years. I took my EMT training in 1985 and paramedic training in 1993. My service averages 350 - 400 calls per year and has 9 full and part time employees both basic and advanced. We are the only ambulance service in the area and provide both 911 and transfer services to the residents of our small community. Our fleet consists of two full time ambulances and one part time/spare. Our paramedics also work on a contractual basis at remote health clinics along with a nurse practitioner, the nearest ambulance is located about 120 kms (75 miles) away.

So thats where I posted the joke. I thought I had posted it before but lost track of it. Sorry for the dual posting. I had thought I forgot to hit the submit button.

typically we will either scoop or use the spineboard to move the patient with pillows under the knee of the affected leg to abduct the hip joint. They tend to be most comfortable like this.

As God was creating the Earth an angel noted he was spending a particularly long time on one spot. Curious, the angel questioned God as to why he was working so hard on this one piece of the world. God put his arm around the angel's shoulders and said look there. This is going to be the jewel upon the crown of my creation. To the West the ocean surf will crash upon rugged mountains that will reach up to the clouds. They will be the source of pristine water that will flow from the mountains over vast prairies. This rugged coastline to the East will be the most adored by any person to visit. The vast ice fields to the North will be the climate control centre for the entire world. Life will flourish and prosper. When humans discover and settle here, they will call it Canada and earn a reputation as the most polite and peace loving folk the world over because the land will suit any sort of personality. There will be sprawling cities to quaint hamlets from sea to sea to sea. These people will be generous to their fellow man, ready to help whenever asked. They will know the words, "Please" and "Thank You" and will carry a respect for the needs of those around them. They will also fiercely protect those who need protection. They will gain a reputation across the world as excellent fighters, but never the aggressor. This jewel will become the shining example that all the world will one day need. Agape with awe, the angel shortly recovers from the stunning oratory and asks one last question. "Please my lord, I do not understand. You are a being of balance. When you created day, you also created night to balance. When you created land, you also created water. Why is it that this land, this jewel of your crown is such a perfect place?" God cast a kindly look upon his angel and winked, "Wait until you see the belligerent A-holes I'm putting South of them"

Lawyers should never ask a Mississippi grandma a question if they aren't prepared for the answer. In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman to the stand. He approached her and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?" She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a young boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you." The lawyer was stunned! Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?" She again replied, "Why, yes, I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He's lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him." The defense attorney almost died. The judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said, "If either of you idiots asks her if she knows me, I'll send you to the electric chair."

Maybe in this guy's world it's a Fleg, but he needs to learn to talk like a real Canadian. Eh? As God was creating the Earth an angel noted he was spending a particularly long time on one spot. Curious, the angel questioned God as to why he was working so hard on this one piece of the world. God put his arm around the angel's shoulders and said look there. This is going to be the jewel upon the crown of my creation. To the West the ocean surf will crash upon rugged mountains that will reach up to the clouds. They will be the source of pristine water that will flow from the mountains over vast prairies. This rugged coastline to the East will be the most adored by any person to visit. The vast ice fields to the North will be the climate control centre for the entire world. Life will flourish and prosper. When humans discover and settle here, they will call it Canada and earn a reputation as the most polite and peace loving folk the world over because the land will suit any sort of personality. There will be sprawling cities to quaint hamlets from sea to sea to sea. These people will be generous to their fellow man, ready to help whenever asked. They will know the words, "Please" and "Thank You" and will carry a respect for the needs of those around them. They will also fiercely protect those who need protection. They will gain a reputation across the world as excellent fighters, but never the aggressor. This jewel will become the shining example that all the world will one day need. Agape with awe, the angel shortly recovers from the stunning oratory and asks one last question. "Please my lord, I do not understand. You are a being of balance. When you created day, you also created night to balance. When you created land, you also created water. Why is it that this land, this jewel of your crown is such a perfect place?" God cast a kindly look upon his angel and winked, "Wait until you see the belligerent A-holes I'm putting South of them"

The temporal release patterns of the three cardiac markers have significant differences, all three are useful tools in the determination of the source and timing of the onset of chest pain. Cell injury from AMI has been shown to result in a level of blood myoglobin above the upper limit of normal in approximately 2-3 hours after the onset of chest pain. Maximum concentrations are generally observed after 9-12 hours. CK-MB and troponin I are found in blood at elevated concentrations approximately 4- 6 hours after the onset of chest pain and peak at 12-24 hours. However, whereas CK-MB levels return to normal values in about 72 hours, troponin I levels remain elevated for up to 5-7 days. The use of these three markers is therefore complementary since they detect cardiac tissue damage over a wide range of times after myocardial infarction. For this reason I prefer to use the test that provides results for all three, this gives me the opportunity to determine if the infarct is a new one or an older one.

Nice, profanity, the last thing I'd have expected from an intelligent, literate and well educated individual.

I suppose not when your argument has no basis to it. In that picture i can see a tire pressure monitor, rear view camera and what looks like a control head for a CD changer. Looks to me like a boss who cares about those who work at his company.

Simple answer is YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here is a true story. BLS crew is the only unit available to respond to a client complaining of repeated episodes weakness and dizziness for several days but getting worse. They arrive to a 69 yr old male with a heart rate of 28 and a BP of 98/54. Slap the LP10 onto him and run off a few seconds of lead II. They had no idea what it was, but kept it for the doc, turns out it was a 3rd degree block. 30 seconds later, patient was fine, ECG was NSR, BP normal. The patient was seen at the local hospital and sent to a tertiary facility for pacemaker insertion because of a transient 3rd degree block based solely on the strip taken by the BLS crew.

So, what other safety innovations would you recommend prior to this one?

So you feel that added safety is a waste of money? Perhaps you'd be more impressed if the money was spent to give you a bigger Christmas bonus. The owner should have just pocketed the money rather than invest in the safety of those he employs I suppose. Wasn't there a recent LODD involving a medic who was ejected from the ambulance after her partner swerved to avoid a deer and ripped the side of the mod when it hit a tree? In Kentucky I believe. Maybe you just live in a city where this would be useless, but out in the open countyside with transport times of 2 or more hours and open road, 130kph makes those headlights pretty useless. The added warning this provides is invaluable, not to mention the search and rescue capabilities.

I doubt that it will replace anything, but it will enhance the ability to detect AMIs that the ECG might miss. Right side, posterior, and Non-STEMI would all have elevated cardiac enzymes and could be missed on a standard 12 Lead ECG. Pretty simple to use too. When I start an IV line I attach a piece of extension tubing, aspirate a ml or 2 with a syringe, then attach the IV tubing and flush the line. Viola, blood test completed with no time wasted for an added evaluation.

Nope, the trucking industry has been using these for years. BMW and Land Rover offer them as factory options.

We're using an invitro diagnostic device that provides qualitative results for cTnI, Myoglobin and CK-MB. They are 100% accurate and provide positive results if the trops are over 1.5mcg/ml. It takes about 4 drops of whole blood and gives a result in about 5 minutes. Each cassette costs about 13 bucks, this compared to 16 for the troponin cassette in the ISTAT and the $10,000 for the machine just to get a quantitative reading. Although it isn't as easy as a saliva test, it has come in as useful.

Why use an expensive machine like the Istat? I'm using an invitro diagnostic device that provides qualitative results for cTnI, Myoglobin and CK-MB. They are 100% accurate and provide positive results if the trops are over 1.5mcg/ml. It takes about 4 drops of whole blood and gives a result in about 5 minutes. Each cassette costs about 13 bucks, this compared to 16 for the troponin cassette in the ISTAT and the $10,000 for the machine just to get a quantitative reading.

Why use an expensive machine like the Istat? I'm using an invitro diagnostic device that provides qualitative results for cTnI, Myoglobin and CK-MB. They are 100% accurate and provide positive results if the trops are over 1.5mcg/ml. It takes about 4 drops of whole blood and gives a result in about 5 minutes.

Hey Paul, How are things with Faith and Terry? I used to work for he and his dad back in the late 80's. I've always considered Terry to be one of those who made a big impact on my career for the better. I haven't heard much about the Scheullers since the mid 90's now.

On a tour of Florida , the Pope took a couple of days off to visit the coast for some sightseeing. He was cruising along the beach in the Pope mobile when there was a frantic commotion just off shore. A helpless man, wearing a fire department T-shirt, was struggling frantically to free himself from the jaws of a 25-foot shark. As the Pope watched, horrified, a speedboat came racing up with three men wearing jackets emblazoned with the Star of Life aboard. One quickly fired a harpoon into the shark's side. The other two reached out and pulled the bleeding, semi-conscious fire truck driver from the water. Then using semi automatic defibrillators, the three heroes beat the shark to death and hauled it into the boat. Immediately the Pope shouted and summoned them to the beach. 'I give you my blessing for your brave actions,' he told them. 'I heard that there was some bitter hatred between fire truck drivers and paramedics, but now I have seen with my own eyes that this is not the truth.' As the Pope drove off, one of the paramedics asked his buddies, 'Who was that?' 'It was the Pope,' another replied. 'He's in direct contact with God and has access to all of God's wisdom.' 'Well,' the third medic said, 'he may have access to all of God's wisdom, but he doesn't know much about shark fishing. How's the bait holding up?'

Very cool, I am assuming that you are going to NAIT then? That's where I took my training 17 years ago. lol

In addition to my usual prehospital job, I have been working per diem at a remote health clinic in Northern Canada for the past 4 years. When I first started it was like a fish out of water. How many have training that actually includes how to use an otoscope or orthoscope, or which antibiotic therapy works best for each bug. It was a long learning curve, usually self study but I now have a scope of practice within the facility that actually makes me feel like a member of the team rather than a liability. It would be awesome if schools could provide training for medics in non-standard roles, such as a Clinical Care Paramedic. I suspect that with the ever growing need for medics outside of EMS, there will soon be expansions and more training options.

I came across this story on another website that shall remain un-named. I thought it was kinda neat that an EMS service would add this to their fleet. Especially a private one. [web:eed3b5b07b]http://paramedic-network-news.com/index.php?s=kelvington[/web:eed3b5b07b] An EMS service in Kelvington, Saskatchewan is using thermal imaging units to enhance driver safety. That is the word from a note put out by the organization (October 22) which said that the units from mobilesafety.net are being put onboard ambulances to assist in spotting wildlife and avoiding collisions during adverse conditions. Allowing drivers to see some 2,000 feet away, the The PathfindIR ™ forward looking infrared (FLIR) video system can offer drivers as much as 20 seconds to react in poor visibility conditions including fog, snow, rain, smoke, and nightime. In addition to aiding drivers in transit, the units also help at the scene. In one instance already encountered by the service, an ejected MVA patient was located in tall grass via the PathfindIR.