Contributor: Dylan Luyten, MD Educational Pearls: Bag-valve masks (BVM) typically have a port to connect O2 to. Unfortunately room air becomes entrained in the mask, reducing the FiO2 delivered to the patient. This can be overcome by using a PEEP (positive end-expiratory pressure) valve on the BVM PEEP valves function by keeping alveoli open in…
Read MoreAuthor: Michael Hunt, MD Educational Pearls: A recent study evaluated the relationship between abnormal orthostatic vital signs and serious outcomes within 30 days in patients over 60 presenting to the ED with syncope Of the roughly 2000 patients enrolled, about ⅓ had abnormal orthostatic vital signs There was no statistically significance between orthostatic vital signs…
Read MoreRun Time: 5 minutes Author: Dylan Luyten M.D. Educational Pearls: Cervical spine immobilization is a big change in the EMS protocol over several years. Cervical collars were developed for rehabilitation after neck or spine surgery, but became a tool for prehospital treatment of undifferentiated trauma patients that may or may not have injured the neck….
Read MoreRun Time: 3 minutes Author: Aaron Lessen M.D. Educational Pearls: Defibrillation is used to depolarize the heart and reset the electrical activity. How can the success of defibrillation be maximized for a patient with persistent Vfib and has been shocked several times previously by EMS. Success is dependent on the contact of the pads…
Read MoreRun Time: 3 minutes Author: Dylan Luyten M.D. Educational Pearls: The most recent data on value on interventional neuroradiology suggests that the patients who receive the most benefit from neuroradiology are those with a large vessel occlusion, and can have up to 50% reduction in mortality. The question is for EMS, when should you bypass…
Read MoreRun Time: 2 minutes Author: Dylan Luyten M.D. Educational Pearls: The Canadian Medical Association Journal published a study this year looking at the association between what floor people live on and cardiac arrest survival. In the US, 2% of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survive with a favorable neurologic outcome and 5% survive to discharge…
Read MoreRun Time: 4 minutes Author: Aaron Lessen M.D. Educational Pearls: In Colorado, the snake that people start worrying about in the spring and summer is that rattlesnake. However, 25% of bites are dry bites, meaning no venom, and there are only about 10 lethal snake bites per year in the US. The new anti-venom is…
Read MoreFeaturing: Dr. Dylan Luyten and Dr. Donald Stader – with special guest Rachel Duncan Part I: Introduction to the Medical Minute Part II: Top 10 Podcasts of the First 100 – Part 1 See Podcast #101! Part III: Syncope Life in the Fast Lane Link for Brugada – lifeinthefastlane.com/ecg-library/brugada-syndrome/ Dr. Smith’s ECG…
Read MoreRun Time: 6 minutes Author: Dr. Donald Stader Educational Pearls: There are two types of patients that should be resuscitated for a long period of time after losing pulses – hypothermia and lightning strikes. The low temperature can decrease the loss of neurological function associated with lost pulses. Patient’s with hypothermia should be resuscitated until…
Read MoreRun Time: 4 minutes Author: Dr. Aaron Lessen Educational Pearls: Over the last few years, general consensus has strayed away from pre-hospital intubation in the field. This is because it has been found that interruptions to CPR (namely intubation and airway management) decrease the success of the patient. This was believed to be solved via the quick…
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