Equipment Usage + Creativity = ?

[paraloco]

need a quick trach? cut a 10gtt/cc drip chamber in half. thats 15mm, and it fits an ambu bag. you've got a sterile tip. make your incision and stick it in

[Hershey]

The only time I have ever used a KED was for hip injuries.

Also I would also mention the lack of use of many types of equipment...I've used a scoop many times, especially on hip fractures. I had one particular lady that we moved her from the floor to the cot with the scoop but kept the scoop with her on the cot til we got to the ED to help support the leg because when we moved her it lifted her leg just enough to provide a little relief and we did not want to mess with that.

Tongue depressors for finger splints...

I know I've used equipmetn for other uses but I cannot think of anything else right now.

[BushyFromOz]

i used a 7.0 orotracheal tube for chest drain...

Sweet!

I was at a motor cycle race one day when we got scrambled to a crash on the track, jumped behind the wheel and the bloody key would not turn, so i jiggled the barrel and nothing happened. In an act of desperation, i jumpoed back out, grabbed the resus bag from the side door and used the lignocaine kelly from the intubation kit to lube the key up and jammed it back in the slot, a couple of jiggles and she unlocked and away we went. 8)

LMAO! Take the words used in that paragraph anyway you want :twisted:

[Dale]

looks like you used ingenuity and creativity to fit the situation. Nothing is ever like what is taught in a classroom where you always have all of the right tools, lighting, etc.

BTW, KED instruction sheets (depending upon what "brand" you have), used to show using this device for all kinds of applications including using it as a leg splint, hip splint, pediatric immobilizer, etc.

Kind of like using pillows, blankets, and even magazines at times to improvise for splinting, immobilization, etc. Too many folks tend to rely on gadgets at times and forget to think about the basics!

Good Job!

[desertmedic]

Well back when I was on the street we used the KED a lot for peds, I have also splinted legs and hips with one. Turn it upside down, it works great as a pelvic girdle and the top helps immobilize the affected leg at the same time. Even used a KED as a lifting device with a pt stuck in a gravel chute up to his hips and sinking fast. There lots of uses for safety pins – put one across the end of a NPA to keep there, pin the tongue to pt cheek or T-shirt or a variety of T-shirt options. A 6.0 ETT can used nasally or orally and don’t forget when you cut it down it works great for a cric – better than a cut off 3ml syringe or IV flash chamber . You can use the NPA or an ETT for a chest tube in extreme situations. A Foley can be used to pack a nosebleed. I’ve had to use petroleum gauze dressing as candles during remote pt care. I could go on for a while on this, in remote settings we tend to carry less and have multiple uses for as much as possible.

[Richard B the EMT]

I remember seeing a long spine board that had specific cutouts. The VFD that had the board told me it was hand-holds to use the board as a battering ram, or as a short ladder.

[larry 1745]

why couldn't you use a short back board for a peds back board ?

[cloe911]

I work for a private BLS company who gets primarily non-emergent calls from nursing facilities which means lots of hip fractures. We use the KED upside down (so that the head points towards the feet) as a hip stabilizer. It's a pain in the butt to get back from the ER, but have heard lots of good feedback from the doctors about it's effectiveness and pain management.

[Scaramedic]

Once we were trapped by a gang of drug lords. My partner constructed a cannon that shot watermelons on top of the van. We drove at the dealers and destroyed their vehicles with the watermelons. It was awesome.

Ohh wait, I'm sorry that was an A-Team episode. :?

[akroeze]

Just wondering, how do you people get permission to do chest drains?