Let's face it, there are a whole bunch of street drugs out there that we as EMS caregivers should understand. While we can't always be expected to identify the exact drug a patient has ingested. We do … [Read more...]
Learning DCAPBTLS (A word of advice)
June 18, 2009 By 27 Comments
I first heard the BCAPBTLS acronym sometime around 1998 while helping a group of EMT's practice their skills. I hadn't been involved in EMT education for several years and I had missed the whole … [Read more...]
Basic Functions of Abdominal Organs
June 16, 2009 By 3 Comments
Most EMT level providers are square on the primary function of the stomach. We can name several things our liver is doing for us and we get the whole kidney concept as well. But when we start … [Read more...]
Test For Unconsciousness: The Face Flick
June 4, 2009 By 13 Comments
Sometimes, when we get on that outer boundary of established medical practices we start running in to controversy. As an author, and a bit of a non-conformist, I love controversy. One area that falls … [Read more...]
What Is Nystagmus?
May 28, 2009 By 3 Comments
When we think of testing for nystagmus, medical personnel and lay people alike, we tend to think of the horizontal gaze nystagmus test performed by police officers as part of … [Read more...]
Five Assessment Findings That Should Concern You
May 12, 2009 By 18 Comments
Did you ever watch the old Star Trek TV show? No of course you didn't, but this is just you and me talking here right? OK, remember when something would threaten the ship. The captain's first … [Read more...]
Rapid Diagnosis: Pinpoint Pupils
April 23, 2009 By 20 Comments
Abnormally constricted or "pinpoint" pupils are a great finding for our rapid diagnosis series. There are many things that can cause the pupil to abnormally dilate. Very few things will make the pupil … [Read more...]
Rapid Diagnosis: Vomiting Blood
March 14, 2009 By 4 Comments
The dispatcher reports that the patient is vomiting blood. Hemataemesis if you want to be technical about it. It could be a whole bunch of things right? ... Well yes it could. Before you e-mail me to … [Read more...]
Lesson From The Street: Skin Doesn’t Lie
March 13, 2009 By 1 Comment
I hope you're sitting down for this. I trust that a good number of my readers do indeed sit while surfing the internet so I'm just going to tell you this strait up. Sometimes ... patients lie. They … [Read more...]
EMT Burn Management: Part 3
February 13, 2009 By 8 Comments
Treatment Guidelines For The Burn Patient You've taken an educated guess on burn depth, calculated the burn area and classified the burns severity. With those priorities out of the way we can start … [Read more...]
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