Bob Sullivan EMS1.com Columnists Make every assessment question count using this strategy to quickly assess respiratory patients who are unable to speak in phrases or sentences Patients in severe respiratory distress or respiratory compromise are often unable to speak more than one or two words at a time, and attempting to do so makes their…

Michael Fraley, BS, BA, NRP EMS1.com Columnists Make sure each of your service’s cardiac arrest patients get the best chance of survival by prioritizing high-quality CPR in training and in practice Every five years, EMS providers and other healthcare providers involved in cardiac arrest resuscitation eagerly await a new version of the American Heart Association…

Arthur Hsieh, MA, NRP EMS1.com Columnists A basic understanding of how acid-base imbalances can affect the patient’s presentation can help make sense of conflicting symptoms The human body has tremendous capacity to maintain internal balance, or homeostasis, in serious, prolonged situations. However, there are several situations in which an imbalance that is left uncorrected can…

Kenny Navarro EMS1.com Columnists Temperature, lactate and ETCO2 monitoring may provide field personnel with objective evidence to make a more accurate field diagnosis of systemic inflammatory response syndrome For EMS providers to truly understand sepsis, they must also understand the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) cascade. SIRS, as a term to describe the complex physiological…

EMS1 Sponsored Capnography experts will answer some of the most common questions first responders have Have you ever wondered, “Is my ET tube in the right place?” “Are those really epigastric sounds or just the sound of the engine?” “Is there a way to continually monitor my patient’s condition without taking vital signs every minute?” If so,…

EMS1 Sponsored With turnover among EMS hovering at 25% per year and costing more than $7700 per paramedic, data-driven strategies can help you improve employee retention. Webinar sponsored by ESO Register now to attend the May 25th webinar At what cost are we losing EMS professionals to burnout and turnover? And what can we do to…

Rom Duckworth, BS, LP EMS1.com Columnists Through the EPIC treatment, EMS providers are taught to focus on the three H-bombs to prevent further damage to head injuries Traumatic head injuries account for 2.5 million emergency department visits annually in the United States. More than 10 percent of these head injuries are hospitalized, from which nearly…

EMS1 Sponsored Learn how end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring can be a powerful tool for detecting physiological changes associated with sepsis, diabetes and more Sponsored by ESO According to the 2019 ESO EMS Index, at least one End-tidal CO2 (EtCO2) value was obtained and documented after initiating advanced airway placement in 96% of cases. This high…

Catherine R. Counts, PHD, MHA EMS1.com Columnists 3 EMS physicians highlight the challenges that prevent a consensus on endotracheal intubation across EMS systems and the importance of case review SAN DIEGO — The National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) Annual Meeting didn’t shy away from one of the hottest topics in EMS: advanced airway management…

Arthur Hsieh EMS1.com Columnists CPAP for emergency management of congestive heart failure and other respiratory emergencies has become the standard of care The use of continuous positive airway pressure, commonly called CPAP, for the emergency management of congestive heart failure is rapidly becoming the new standard of care, replacing the traditional approaches of nitrates, diuretics and…