What does NICE say about head injuries?
NICE guidelines are great, but they're annoying sometimes. They're lengthy, and it can be hard to find only the content that is directly relevant to frontline ambulance clinicians. Here is a summary of their head injury guidelines, showing only the points and quotes that are relevant to us. Article 999: Simplifying, Presenting, Refreshing.
PARAMEDIC-2 Trial Results
‘For more than 50 years, treatment strategies have included the use of various drugs, but there is limited evidence that such treatments are effective’ (Perkins et al, 2018). Now […]
What are the different methods of documentation?
A variety of models exist to help ensure that all the useful information is in your paperwork by the time it's finalised & to ensure that it's clear and concise...
Cheat Sheets: Scene Overview
You may find varying suggestions for what to consider in what is usually referred to as your 'scene assessment' (Harris, 2016: 1; Pilbery & Lethbridge, 2016: 126) or 'end of bed [...] assessment' (Spurr, 2014). This is a cheat sheet to assist you in identifying these important factors.
Free Ventilator Downloads from Smiths Medical
So far, Article 999 has a reasonable collection of information and videos about positive pressure breathing and ventilators used in prehospital emergency care. Smiths Medical is behind the PneuPac ParaPac. […]
Ventilators: How?
This is a shorter version of the Ventilator: Why, What, How, When? video, featuring the how-to only.
How do I get the ventilator off the racks?
If you've ever felt the frustration of being a student on Day 1 and having to retrieve the ventilator for your crewmate, you might enjoy this GIPHY.
What is the relief pressure dial on the ventilator?
The relief pressure dial on the ventilator ensures that the pressure of ventilation is not so high that it causes problems but allows it to be high enough to help ensure that the patient actually is ventilated. Read more...
What is positive pressure breathing?
Positive pressure refers to the way artificial ventilation ‘inflate[s] the lungs’ (Hess & Kacmarek, 2014). ‘Normal breathing depends on drawing in air to the lungs by creating a partial vacuum […]