MCHD Montgomery County Hospital District EMS is using a low-cost approach to administer albuterol via metered-dose inhaler, reducing viral spread without compromising patient care The COVID-19 pandemic has forced EMS and all emergency providers to reassess our approach to airway management and treatment. This is especially true when we must care for patients with cough,…

Tim Nowak, AAS, BS, NRP, CCEMTP, SPO, MPO, CADS EMS1.com Columnists In some cases, our medical monitoring equipment alert is the precursor to a rapidly deteriorating patient who appears normal We’ve all heard the saying “treat the patient, not the monitor.” Well, that might be true in most instances, but there are certainly times where…

Jonathan Lee EMS1.com Columnists Learn what the guidelines say about titration, selecting a sedation agent and monitoring sedation A number of agencies have published sedation best practice guidelines [1-3]. With the exception of the NAEMSP statement on drug-assisted airway management, none of these are prehospital specific [4]. Adverse events have been reported in 10% of…

EMS1.com Columnists Understand how monitoring tools can be used to guide treatment for COPD exacerbations By Bob Sullivan Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease affects approximately 32 million Americans, and it is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. COPD includes a group of degenerative conditions that impair airflow through the lungs. Cigarette smoking…

Tim Nowak, AAS, BS, NRP, CCEMTP, SPO, MPO, CADS EMS1.com Columnists Design your training scenario to include increasingly complicated sepsis symptoms to test EMS providers’ differential diagnosis skills This article was originally posted here on Bound Tree University. Sepsis, or septic shock, can manifest through a number of infection-driven disease processes – and it can…

NAEMSP EMS1.com Columnists The NAEMSP Discussion Forum debates EMT training, capnography considerations By EMS MEd Editor, Maia Dorsett, MD, PhD, FAEMS, FACEP, @maiadorsett In February, we posted the following Discussion Forum stem: EMS is dispatched to a cardiac arrest at a residence with bystander CPR in progress. The paramedic and EMT partners arrive on scene…

EMS1.com Columnists Learn the signs and symptoms for this significant pediatric airway and ventilation emergency By Christopher Kroboth Asthma is a condition in which lower airways narrow and swell and produce extra mucus. This can make breathing difficult and trigger coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath [1]. The CDC reports that 8.3 percent of the…

Bob Sullivan EMS1.com Columnists Apply waveform capnography to make informed clinical decisions before, during, and after cardiac arrest patient care By Bob Sullivan Waveform capnography provides continuous feedback on CPR quality, confirmation of airway placement, ventilation, and a return or loss of circulation. Here are five things you should know about waveform capnography in cardiac…

EMS1.com Columnists A national database examining five metrics in evidence-based care gives EMS a framework to improve tactics, efficiency, outcomes and resource allocation By Brent Myers, EMS1 Contributor Everywhere we look, EMS is undergoing subtle and not-so-subtle changes, with an increased emphasis on how and when dollars are spent, what results are being measured, how…

Patrick Lickiss EMS1.com Columnists Look for these signs and symptoms to identify patients suffering from smoke inhalation and cyanide poisoning This article was originally posted Apr. 21, 2016. It has been updated. One of the main concerns for responders treating patients involved in structure fires is generally the presence of thermal burns. While burns may…