EMTs and Medics, take care of yourselves

[kevmacc]

Hey guys heres something for you.I have been an EMT for about 20 yrs or so.Back in Dec 08 I had a massive heart attack.I spent 33 days in a coma.When I woke up I had an LVAD implanted in me.I am now home and waiting for a transplant.If there are of you out there that have heard of them seen anyone with one?do you know how you would treat the Patient?Drop me a line or lets chat about it here.Ever since I have been back doing things with my volunteer fire co.I have been more than willing to talk to other EMTs and Paramedics about the LVAD.belive it or not there are more and more people out there that have them.Im more than willing to talk to any and all of you about it

Kevin McCarthy

[P_Instructor]

In the future, use the REPORT POST feature.

This guy has posted in 3 places and no one notified me....AK

[chbare]

Hey guys heres something for you.I have been an EMT for about 20 yrs or so.Back in Dec 08 I had a massive heart attack.I spent 33 days in a coma.When I woke up I had an LVAD implanted in me.I am now home and waiting for a transplant.If there are of you out there that have heard of them seen anyone with one?do you know how you would treat the Patient?Drop me a line or lets chat about it here.Ever since I have been back doing things with my volunteer fire co.I have been more than willing to talk to other EMTs and Paramedics about the LVAD.belive it or not there are more and more people out there that have them.Im more than willing to talk to any and all of you about it

Kevin McCarthy

What do you have? The heart mate II is the most popular device in my area.

Take care,

chbare.

[EMS49393]

At my last job we had a patient in our service area with a LVAD. The hospital that was caring for him sent out a letter to the EMS service that outlined care tips for the patient in the event he required EMS. They also sent an education DVD about the device. I'm pretty sure I was the only one that watched it, but I'm a heart girl, so I was pretty interested.

In my humble opinion, this is not addressed well at all in the educational setting. Most providers I know have never heard of the device and have no idea what caring for a patient with one entails. It appears that use of the device is on the rise, and if the EMS services won't educate, it's good that the hospital makes the effort. Of course, you can lead a horse to water...

I'm teaching a cardiovascular emergencies class this month, and I'll be touching briefly on the device. I have a lot of information to cram in to two hours, so it will be brief, but I hope that my students won't be caught completely off guard when they happen upon this type of patient.

Thanks for your story and your post. I hope some of the other more experienced providers chime in on this topic. This could turn into one incredibly educational thread.

(Side note: I hope you get your heart in a timely fashion. I can't imagine what you're going through physically and mentally while you're waiting for that call. Good luck to you.)

[FireMedic65]

That's a shame, only 2 hours to teach cardiovascular emergencies

[EMS49393]

That's a shame, only 2 hours to teach cardiovascular emergencies

Oh, I know. It's a con-ed class, not a part of a larger class. How do you decide what to teach in that small period of time? I've got a list of what I want to discuss during the class, however the list far outweighs my time frame.

I might be able to give a total of 30 seconds worth of discuss on the LVAD. Since I'm certain few people I'll be teaching have heard of them, it's a crime that I can allot more time. You have got me thinking though (not that it's hard to do) and I may visit the local hospital and see if I can get some information on how many people in our area may have a LVAD. I'm sure if I don't ask for personal information, I should be able to get a round about number. If I can present that number to our education people, I may be able to hold a class on that topic alone. As far as I'm concerned, if one patient in our area has this device, it should be more than enough grounds to provide a con-ed assignment. But, as you all know, it's often easier to launch a shuttle into space then to prove the need for increased education on a subject in EMS.

[fireflymedic]

Oh, I know. It's a con-ed class, not a part of a larger class. How do you decide what to teach in that small period of time? I've got a list of what I want to discuss during the class, however the list far outweighs my time frame.

I might be able to give a total of 30 seconds worth of discuss on the LVAD. Since I'm certain few people I'll be teaching have heard of them, it's a crime that I can allot more time. You have got me thinking though (not that it's hard to do) and I may visit the local hospital and see if I can get some information on how many people in our area may have a LVAD. I'm sure if I don't ask for personal information, I should be able to get a round about number. If I can present that number to our education people, I may be able to hold a class on that topic alone. As far as I'm concerned, if one patient in our area has this device, it should be more than enough grounds to provide a con-ed assignment. But, as you all know, it's often easier to launch a shuttle into space then to prove the need for increased education on a subject in EMS.

I'm suprised the hospital didn't notify you. In this area, we are given a list of patients within the county and surrounding counties that have them which is updated yearly by the hospital (unless one passes away or receives transplant). I find it extremely useful as they are flagged within the dispatch system along with the others that we have info on that have unusual medical conditions and may require physician contact to treat appropriately. Perhaps bring this up to the local hospital that does this. We even get notification from the hospital if the patient has gone out of state for treatment. I would find it unusual they don't !

[Kaisu]

So how about educating us? Start a new thread about LVDs and post the stuff you know. I for one would read it and hopefully learn from it. I would really appreciate it.

Edit... oops one already started. Right on!

Edited October 10, 2009 by Kaisu