Stupid EMS Rules, Regulations, or Practices ................

[firedoc5]

Unless it's a digital read out, it's sort of hard to give an odd number. We did have a medic that would only read his BP's rounded off by fifths. If the sys. was 118, he'd round it up to 120. Or if it was 112 he'd round it down to 110. He'd do this all the time. At first we thought that maybe he was having problems seeing the hash marks, but he said he could see fine and that's just the way he has always done it, and unless a doc "gave him grief" about it or God told him not to, he would continue doing it his own way.

And I just love the guy/ gal that would give a diastolic when palpating for a BP. You just don't know to laugh or cry about it.

[Richard B the EMT]

I currently work in the "Triage" room at FDNY Bureau of Health Services, so I am potentially taking over 100 BPs a day, with some coming back to see if they have been able to lower their readings. I have always taken BPs, even in the field, in numbers divisible by 2, due to the already stated fact that non digital, aneroid BP units are with lines indicating by 2s.

Are we wrong, or are the machines we use making us wrong? I don't think we are wrong at all, and until we get dial style machines that have odd numbers in addition to even, I will continue with even only readings.

[Arizonaffcep]

It matters if people know which sphygmomanometer you are using and that it is marked off at increments of 2 mmHg. They will think you don't understand this, thus are clueless when it comes to reading the equipment. It says alot about the person's attention to detail when it comes to using some equipment. I seriously would not want a Paramedic on CCT who thinks an indwelling arterial BP line is "zerod" if it is only "off by one" during the calibration process especially if he/she did not know enough to check if there is a simple reason for the transducer to not calibrate but let it go as only being "one off".

Big difference between analog dials and computer monitored...much greater precision is needed and desired for computer montitoring.

[Arizonaffcep]

Unless it's a digital read out, it's sort of hard to give an odd number. We did have a medic that would only read his BP's rounded off by fifths. If the sys. was 118, he'd round it up to 120. Or if it was 112 he'd round it down to 110. He'd do this all the time. At first we thought that maybe he was having problems seeing the hash marks, but he said he could see fine and that's just the way he has always done it, and unless a doc "gave him grief" about it or God told him not to, he would continue doing it his own way.

And I just love the guy/ gal that would give a diastolic when palpating for a BP. You just don't know to laugh or cry about it.

Either way...well worth a grimace...

[VentMedic]

Big difference between analog dials and computer monitored...much greater precision is needed and desired for computer montitoring.

If you are referring to the arterial line, mercury manometers were used to calibrate the tranducers to ensure accuracy of the digital readout.

[Arizonaffcep]

If you are referring to the arterial line, mercury manometers were used to calibrate the tranducers to ensure accuracy of the digital readout.

Didn't know that. But...I would imagine that the manometers that are used to calibrate the transducers are a lot more accurate than the +/- 3mmHg, which as was pointed out in an earlier post, is the tolerance of the metal coil-spring analog dials used on an ambulance. (sorry for the edit...forgot to spell check...)

[VentMedic]

Didn't know that.

Yeah, working in the cardiac cath lab many years ago used to be a fun time.

[Richard B the EMT]

Just this once, I declare myself a (Para)God!

Thou shall tell him this day, to read and document the number as sayeth the blood pressure machine, and not just those divisible by 10. If the number shall be 118, thou shall say and document 118, and ye shall no longer document 120 when 118 is indicated on the dial. If sayeth the dial 112, ye shall say and document 112, Nay shall ye say and document 110!

So sayeth the (Para)God!

As fund-raising for my temple has fallen drastically short by $5,000,000.00 (only got $1.27, all in pennies), I hereby proclaim my ParaGodhood ended!

[firedoc5]

Just this once, I declare myself a (Para)God!

Thou shall tell him this day, to read and document the number as sayeth the blood pressure machine, and not just those divisible by 10. If the number shall be 118, thou shall say and document 118, and ye shall no longer document 120 when 118 is indicated on the dial. If sayeth the dial 112, ye shall say and document 112, Nay shall ye say and document 110!

So sayeth the (Para)God!

As fund-raising for my temple has fallen drastically short by $5,000,000.00 (only got $1.27, all in pennies), I hereby proclaim my ParaGodhood ended!

AMEN. :notworthy:

I don't think there was a day that he wasn't chewed out, argued with, or just flat caused some kind of turmoil. :violent1: He was a Basic but was so cocky he had an attitude of knowing more than anyone else that worked there. Loud, boisterous, obnoxious. :violent3: He didn't last long. The only reason we got him was because his daddy was a close friend of the owner's family.