Epi in NJ

[dahlio]

Glad to see this thread went to hell. Thanks Beegers for the only appropriate answer.

[Dustdevil]

Well I wasn't asking whether or not a Basic should be administrating a drug...

Neither was I. I didn't say anything about Basics or Paramedics or who should or should not be administering anything. I just stated an undebatable fact: Administration of a prescription drug, requiring the order of a physician, is ADVANCED Life Support. This is the BASIC Life Support forum. How difficult is that to comprehend?

So people should die because they may not be able to obtain the services of ALS due to distance, finances or politics?

Yes. But what does that have to do with anything that I said?

English comprehension goes a long way folks.

Oh, that's right... you don't need all that book learnin to be a wanker.

[afib]

dahlio,

ok i used to be in nj and it is good to seem them move foward, being an als provider this is one thing i dont see too much of an issue with. all the training institutions in nj i think they should be very well able to get people to discern anaphlaxis with just a mild reaction, in many many cases that i responded to for "anaphaxis" only had to do 2 times of diphenhydramine and epi. you guys can do this, just know what a good reaction is and if they are allergic to something more times than most they will have allready have stabbed themselves. go fourth and learn...dahlio if you do go for als be sure that it is what ya wanna do. ask get ride time.

[JPINFV]

dahlio,

ok i used to be in nj and it is good to seem them move foward, being an als provider this is one thing i dont see too much of an issue with. all the training institutions in nj i think they should be very well able to get people to discern anaphlaxis with just a mild reaction, in many many cases that i responded to for "anaphaxis" only had to do 2 times of diphenhydramine and epi. you guys can do this, just know what a good reaction is and if they are allergic to something more times than most they will have allready have stabbed themselves. go fourth and learn...dahlio if you do go for als be sure that it is what ya wanna do. ask get ride time.

Wow. It's one thing to use the tired and busted old line of, "It doesn't matter, it's on the interweb," but that post is full of English composition fail. No one is going to ask for research grade proper English [commonly used slang and contractions, for example, are fine. Be really careful with acronyms though because different people might have different meanings of them. An example would be PCR being taken as polymerase chain reaction versus patient care report], but for the love of god, show your shift key some love. Your comma key is begging for some loving too.

[dahlio]

That's nice to see that some ALS providers see this as a good thing. I've been riding quite a bit lately, and I appreciate a real answer. Thanks again afib!

[Dustdevil]

That's nice to see that some ALS providers see this as a good thing.

So, in other words, you asked a question that you wanted a specific answer to, and you weren't going to be satisfied until somebody said what you wanted to hear?

What exactly is a "good thing" about this? You get a neato "skill" to do without all that book learnin the rest of us got? Nice. That'll hold up in court.

Apparently, Mr. Afib hasn't been around very long, or he'd know that it is NOT always easy to tell anaphylaxis from an AMI. In fact, about half the time, it's very, very difficult. With no 12-lead and 120 hours of advanced first aid training, you have no chance. If you give that epi to an AMI, you're going to kill him. Plain and simple. Yeah, that's a "good thing." :roll:

[dahlio]

Any NJ BLS providers currently have Epi-Pen's on their ambulances? How is it working for your service? How many times have you actually used them? How many have you had to waste due to their short shelf life? Is it worth the cost to carry them on your ambulance?

If you're from another state, and do carry Epi-Pen's on your BLS service, please answer as well.

Those who don't know about the (not all that) new policy in NJ, you can read about it here.

As you can see from my original post, my question was directed towards those in New Jersey who use Epi-Pen's, and how it has working out for them. The question was not whether or not they were a good thing, which opinion, I believe they could be a good thing. But that is not the discussion here.

I was not looking for a debate, rather a straight forward answer as to whether or not they were worked well for BLS ambulances. This thread has gone nowhere, and the only real answer I got out of 14 or so posts, was from EvilEmpress, who actually answered the question.

I thank EvilEmpress for her answer.

If you don't have an answer to this question, I kindly ask you not to post.

[angelbaby1414]

As a NJ EMT-B Instructor, I can say that I think BLS carrying epi is a good thing. I know of at least 2 squads that in the past had patients die from anyphalaxis because they had no epipen and the medics were too far away. I think that recognizing a severe allergic reaction is usually not very tricky, especially if the patient is covered with hives or has a known history of allergic reactions (not necesarily anaphylaxis). My students are well trained in the use of the epipen and I hope to see the new protocol saves some lives, especially out in Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon counties, etc.

[Asysin2leads]

Angel, maybe people in NJ go into anaphylaxis differently then they do here, but in a case where someone is going do croak from anaphylaxis, is 0.3 of epinephrine really going to be the difference between life and death? Acccording to Wikipedia, apparently so, but think about it, if your throat is going to get to the point of having airway compromise secondary to angioedema, you need more than an epi-auto injector. This is Hollywood medicine at its worst. Yeah, I know on TV and in films, the plot device is the magic injector that saves the hero or heroine's life, but in reality, 0.3 of epi has profound effects, but if you're going to die from anaphylaxis, you're going to die if you don't have ALS. Its the same crap with the albuterol inhaler, yeah, its very uncomfortable and distressing if you don't have it, but if you're in status asthmaticus, a true medical emergency, you're f---ed if you only have an inhaler.

[dahlio]

that isn't the question.. please read the original post.