Every EMS provider enters the field focused on doing the right thing. You learn the steps, memorize protocols, and work hard to perform every intervention correctly. That structure build safety, consistency, and confidence early in your career. But over time, something changes. You stop focusing on doing everything, and start focus on doing what matters. […]
Sepsis is a progressive chain reaction that turns a localized problem into a system-wide failure. Understanding this cascade helps EMS providers recognize severity early and act quickly. Step 1: Local Infection Every case of sepsis starts with a localized infection. Common sources include urinary tract infections, pneumonia, abdominal infections, and skin and soft tissue infections. […]
Every EMT remembers learning a million things in school and immediately forgetting half of them once the pager went off. That is normal. What separates solid EMTs from overwhelmed ones is not memorization. It is skill mastery. These are the essential EMT skills that show up again and again on real calls. Not the obscure […]
Mass casualty incidents do not care how prepared you feel. One moment you are running a routine call and the next you are surrounded by more patients than resources. This is where trauma triage and tagging becomes one of the most important skills in EMS. Triage is not about being perfect. It is about doing […]
Background Antibiotics are one of the cornerstones of therapy in the treatment of sepsis/septic shock, however, according to the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) guidelines, time to antibiotics is a core measure, though there is weak evidence in support of this. Most of the evidence supporting this is based off retrospective studies that showed delays in […]
Recently I worked a week-long special event as an ALS/CC capable transport unit. Posted in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by thousands of people taking more drugs than a pharmacy carries, I knew it was bound to be quite the week. On our second day, my partner and I were cruising along people-watching when […]
Whether you work in the back of an ambulance, a helicopter, or a hospital, you likely have many tools to assist you in assessing and treating your patient. Tools such as monitors, a stethoscope, dopplers, thermometers, ultrasound units, glucometers and iStat machines, TOCO monitors, and endless imaging devices. Healthcare has created advanced technology for looking […]
By: Jaren Jarrell FP-C, CCEMT-P, NRP From country lyrics to inspirational quotes, “dying from a broken heart” is a widespread line. But, who would have thought that you can actually die or suffer from heartache? I am not talking about the type of despair that Spencer and Heidi from “The Hills” caused us in 2010. […]
Neurogenic Pulmonary Edema Neurogenic pulmonary edema (NPE) is a clinical syndrome characterized by the acute onset of pulmonary edema following a significant CNS insult. While there are a few theories, the etiology is unknown. Out of the ‘big 4’ theories, I’m going to go over two, neuro-cardiac and blast theory. Neuro-Cardiac Theory This theory characterizes […]
Tones Drop and dispatch tells EMS that they are going to visit a 55-year-old male with abdominal discomfort and altered mental status. After a few minutes, the ambulance arrives on scene to an apartment and the PT’s wife tells you that her husband not only has abdominal pain but isn’t making sense, is irritable, and […]
