Activated charcoal LAME

[Fluffpaw38]

I go in for my EMT-B practical testing in Connecticut.

I walk in to the medical station.

I am presented with an overdose of sleeping pills.

I am obviously sapposed to give activated charcoal.

The patient is tired, dizzy, somewhat alert but is ignoring some of the questions i ask/not answering me.

I tell the instructer that i will not give activated charcoal because of his altered mental status.

4 days later i get a letter in the mail, saying i failed the medical station because i did not do correct interventions (give activated charcoal)

I went back 2 weeks later AN PASSED! =] yippy.

So fill me in. i know i should have given activated charcoal but i am correct that you dont give charcoal to someone with an altered mental status/not responding to verbal stimuli?

If i was in the field should i have given charcoal? i think i should have. But AMS means no charcoal.

[spenac]

Nothing oral with altered mental status. In the field you better be able to document A&OX4 or your systems mental status check or you can find yourself at the end of a lawsuit that you will lose. If they are altered and aspirate you will be screwed.

[Fluffpaw38]

thank you. thats exactly what i wanted to hear. I had asked a paramedic friend of mine and he told me to never use activated charcoal on someone with an altered mental status as well as anything oral, like glucose on someone who is hypoglycemic. Thank you.

[spenac]

thank you. thats exactly what i wanted to hear. I had asked a paramedic friend of mine and he told me to never use activated charcoal on someone with an altered mental status as well as anything oral, like glucose on someone who is hypoglycemic. Thank you.

I'm sure you meant no oral glucose for hypoglycemic patients if they have altered mental status. If A&OX4 you can administer oral glucose to keep them from going down hill.

[tskstorm]

I'm sure you meant no oral glucose for hypoglycemic patients if they have altered mental status. If A&OX4 you can administer oral glucose to keep them from going down hill.

Here the protocol is written saying patient with altered mental status who can follow directions and can swallow. (usually tested by giving orange juice or soda with extra sugar, prior to the glucose)

[Doczilla]

Rather than just altered LOC, it's altered LOC with inability to protect airway. It's obviously open to some interpretation.

'zilla

[Fluffpaw38]

during my EMT class my instructer had told us he had only used Activated charcoal, maybe only once in his 30-40 years of being an EMT/paramedic. Although for an overdose you should use it, he said he never liked using it cause it causes vomiting, and vomiting could cause an airway issue. Im not saying activated charcoal shouldnt be used im just amplifieing his opinion, which really isnt a bad one. He told us if we could burnt toast would be better for the patient. Does the same thing. minus the vomiting.

FEEDBACK?

[steph1030]

i have heard this as well it does the same job as the charcoal thankfully ive never had to use charcol the few ods i had took so much that the ody forced them to vomit kinda a self charcoal affect the mix just didnt go well for the gut so for their sake the vomited enroute to the er made a mess but they didnt aspirate which didint compromise the airway

[tskstorm]

during my EMT class my instructer had told us he had only used Activated charcoal, maybe only once in his 30-40 years of being an EMT/paramedic. Although for an overdose you should use it, he said he never liked using it cause it causes vomiting, and vomiting could cause an airway issue. Im not saying activated charcoal shouldnt be used im just amplifieing his opinion, which really isnt a bad one. He told us if we could burnt toast would be better for the patient. Does the same thing. minus the vomiting.

FEEDBACK?

Burnt toast isn't in my protocol. How often you use charcoal, would be based on the system you work in. No one likes to use it thats why we wait till we are 20 seconds out of the ER to give it

[steph1030]

only 20second ? hehe like i said weve been lucky most of em take a nasty enough combo tht theyve puked already by the timw weve gottn there so we just hve to keep the airwy open til we get em to the er