JPINFV

The company would be buying it at bulk wholesale price which would be cheaper. Not cheap, just cheaper. There's also plenty of other expensive item out there that EMS spends money on. Unlike other toys, this one will actually be used. If I had a choice of a padded backboard, or say, a knee immbolizer/traction splint combination, I'd rather have a padded backboard. Also, it would be reusable so the cost would be defrayed over time. The way I envision it would be having the foam integrated into the backboard with, say, a plastic/vinyl covering. Essentially the patient would be able to slide over it and once in position would sink into the foam. I have neither the technical knowhow or experience to say if this would cause a problem. Obviously the thicker the material, the sturdier it would be, but at the cost of losing the ability to conform to the patient's shape. Oh noes, someone has some criticism.

I've heard of them, but never seen them. The true fact about spinal immbolization is that there is no actual evidence that it works in the first place. Here's an interesting article that was posted recently either here or on the other forum I read. http://www.emsresponder.com/features/artic...;siteSection=16 That said, spinal immbolization is going to be here for a while and, as far as I can tell, so is using a long back board to transport patients. As much as I'd love to throw out spinal immbolization for most trauma patients, I'd rather keep my license. In the mean time, we might as well make it as comfortable as possible for our patients.

^ I was thinking something like that. You wouldn't lose all (or maybe not any) of the actual backboard, but a top layer of foam. You would still have the hard plastic making up the majority of the board, just not the part that matters the most to the patient.

I'm just curious about something. The detriments of spending a long time on a backboard have been well documented, but has anyone came up with a way to reduce pressure points? I'm thinking of something like a backboard covered with a tempurpedic like material to help cushion a patient while still maintaining some firmness.

That's simple. No one asked the baby if he/she wanted to be aborted, but the parents did have a choice to bump uglies without a rubber (I'm anti-abortion in cases that don't involve rape, incest, or complications that endanger the mother's life). On the other hand, the death penalty is a punishment that was laid out before someone chose to break the law. In the end, it all comes down to choices and the consequences of those choices. Similarly, it's a patient's choice to end their life provided that they aren't suffering from a decreased mental capacity due to a psychiatric disorder. I guess you could say I'm pro-choice, but anti-abortion.

Unless you're working a non-traditional EMS job (theme park first aid, event standby, S&R, etc), then I really don't seem a reason to be wearing a t-shirt and/or shorts. Provided it's kept clean, I agree with polo shirts if there is a heat issue. Personally, unless I'm given no other option, you'll never see me in a t-shirt and/or shorts while working a traditional ambulance job.

Just curious, what sort of funding was needed for that program?

Naw, that's "Paramedic Associate." 8) http://paprogram.med.yale.edu/

Is there any developed country that's behind us in terms of prehospital care? Here's a study out of the UK. Emergency Medicine Journal 2007;24:239-243; http://emj.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/24/4/239 /me still has to read this one. I ended up picking up an old JEMS at my new job while waiting for a call and felt like I was getting dumber as I read it. So I went to school and printed out a bunch of articles from EMJ.

You mean like this thread: http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=13954 Just checking :!:

...and the truth comes out.

What defense? 3 min ETA and then how long before you get a bed and how long after that is it going to be until the hospital can assess and start pain control? Next time one of your coworkers gives you that line break their hip and then don't issue them pain control. Oh, and it's good to hear that your new crop of medics are giving better pain control.

Starlings Law is the concept that the strength of a cardiac contraction increases as the cardiac muscle stretches. This is due to two physiological changes in the cardiac muscles. First, as the muscle stretches the myosin heads are able to connect more efficiency with the actin. Second, the stretched cells are more permeable to Ca[sup:a98158dba8]++[/sup:a98158dba8] which also increases the strength of the contraction. To induce an increase in cardiac output via this mechanism the end diastolic volume has to be increased by increasing venous return. Edit: Opps, I didn't notice that this was geared towards medics, sorry about that. :twisted:

I think you're missing an option that says "No."

Unless something about the scene seems off, weird, or unusual, yes. http://ochealthinfo.com/docs/medical/ems/P&P/330.51.pdf Page 3, Section E, subsection 3.

There was a similar case a few years in So Cal (Huntington Beach). Before this case tasers were only assigned to supervisors. Well, a teenage girl with psychiatric issues lost control and was threatening police with kitchen knives. While the police were waiting for a taser to show up the girl lunged at the officers forcing them to rely on lethal force. News story: http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homep...cle_1255662.php Uncalled for public outrage: http://www.topix.com/forum/city/huntington...8GOKQA8HE4LB14C A note about the story, the hospital that the girl was transported to is not a trauma center so she was essentially killed instantly. Also the police were cleared by the investigation into the incident.

...but what does your certification say? Otherwise it would be like me saying I'm a medical student because the program I'm currently in is run through the medical school.

Should someone who doesn't "have the opportunities to become" a physician and opt to become a physician's assistant be able to state that they are a doctor because they worked hard for a PA degree?

Orange County, CA protocols clearly states that EMS personnel are to honor requests from immediate family members to "withhold or withdrawal resuscitation." The patient's relative in your story has essentially given the patient a "do not resuscitate" order in the system I used to work in. Unfortunately where I work now doesn't have quite so liberal DNR protocols. Regardless, dependent morbidity makes the patient a DOA.

Follow the path of the arteries to the left arm and right arm while paying attention to where they branch off of the aortic arch,

Mind the bump: Quick question then. At what point (especially geared for EMT-Bs who are taught to essentially bag everything over 28 breaths/min :roll:) do you decide to take override a patient's breathing since tachnypea can decrease gas exchange causing hypoxia, but the Kussmauls is trying to counteract the acidosis that can kill the patient just as easily?

I've been to a bridge to nowhere, does that count?

I don't know if I'd be more upset over losing $850 or the fact that I would be paying that much in the first place.

Unprotected left turns are fun. Check left, check right, pull out if I think I have enough time to make it through the intersection (I'm amazingly bad at judging closing times and tend to wait for the car(s) to pass if I have any second thoughts), check left as pulling through the first set of lanes, check right as I pull into my lane.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Columnists...819526-sun.html Working link. Umm, yea. It's the ETT that destroyed the spleen, not the crash. Yep, that's it.