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I'm learning to become an EMT, so be easy on me for asking this newbie question, but it points to something about O2 adminstration that I don't understand. Virginia's health department posts a bunch of scenarios for EMT training like this one: http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/23/2016/05/M003.pdf In it we find a young adult diabetic patient with a Rx for insulin, able to speak but not feeling well, alert and oriented x3 but "sluggish to respond" and a CC of "not feeling right". He has an O2 sat of 95 and respiratory rate of 14, no mention of cyanosis, vitals normal except for low glucose. Why does the grading criteria call it a critical fail to not provide O2? As a not-yet-certified EMT student with no field experience, I'd think this pt doesn't seem to be in any sort of respiratory distress; he just needs some glucose paste and continued monitoring enroute to the ER (and probably doesn't even need the ride, but I understand we are always supposed to transport everyone unless they sign waivers since there are problems that require more skill/equipment than we have to Dx.) Are we supposed to automatically provide O2 for everyone (except those in hypoxic drive), regardless of O2 sat? Just when I think I'm starting to get a handle on this...

Hi Guys, Ebay has brand new empty CGA 870 D tanks for around 50 bucks shipped. I am going to buy one for my home emergency kit. ( you never know, love thy neighbor and etc ) I have an EMT-B cert. I have never filled a tank before. Where in or near New York City can I have a personal D tank filled? and how much can I expect to pay ?

You are called to the lake to meet a patient coming in on a boat who is having difficulty breathing. When you arrive, the boat has just docked and friends are removing the patient from the boat. When you do your history, you find that this 30-year-old female was scuba diving in 65 feet of water when her tank malfunctioned. She was forced to hold her breath and surface rapidly. Currently, she is having difficulty breathing, her skin is wet and "ashen" in appearance. Her blood pressure is 90/60, her respirations are 30, and her pulse is 120 with an oxygen saturation of 82%. Her lung sounds are clear on the right and almost completely absent on the left. · The most likely cause of this patient's shortness of breath is a pneumothorax (air between the pleura) caused by her rapid ascent from depth. Using the concept of Boyle's law, explain what happened to cause this pneumothorax and why. That is, in your own words, explain why Boyle's law is the culprit for the pneumothorax and why the breach of the potential space between the visceral and parietal pleura caused the pneumothorax. · Your patient's normal minute ventilation is 6000ml of air while her alveolar ventilation is only 4200ml. Why is there a difference of 1800ml between these two volumes? Explain in your own words. · Explain in detail how an oxygen molecule gets into the blood stream, is carried to the cells, gets to the cells from the blood, and subsequently, how the waste products (carbon dioxide) return to the atmosphere. · Your patient's normal respiratory rate is between 12 and 18. Currently, your patient is breathing faster than normal. Explain how chemoreceptors, lung receptors, and the nervous system control ventilation.