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EMSbuff, thanks for the post and the stats. However, I have to add that the theoretical numbers often OVERESTIMATE the limits at which people actually become symptomatic and at risk for serious injury and/or death. The Sleepy Hollow incident involved 3 people brought to the Phelps ER, of vastly different ages and sizes. The woman, otherwise healthy and very young, had a temp of 102 and a CO level of 30. She was seizing, vomiting and non-responsive. Her child, 5 years old and also otherwise healthy, was also unresponsive, also febrile at 103.6, vomiting and also post-ictal but without a previous seizure hx. Dad told me she was probably seizing like the Mom has done in the past- like mimicking her somehow. I almost could have bought that, but kids can't mimick fever too. The child's lips and orbits around her eyes were cherry red. The child's CO level was only around 13. The man who carried both in turned out to be Dad. He only complained of a bad headache but his eyes were bloodshot and he looked like he was wearing red lipstick. His CO level was 32. After 100% O2 all around those CO levels drastically and immediately dropped. Turns out the FD found CO levels in the multi-dwelling house of over 30. If the other 3 kids and 2 adults had not been removed from the building, they'd all have died. No question. After the child brought to Phelps got the oxygen, her temp dropped to 99.2 and she woke up. Mom also woke up and wanted out of the hospital ASAP. Dad was awake the whole time but stopped complaining of a headache. All were transferred to Jacobi and all will (thank GOD) live to tell the tale and hopefully never BBQ in the house again. My points: 1. Don't go only by the CO level. ANYTHING OVER 5 IS POTENTIALLY LETHAL, regardless of the age of the victim. 2. If you ever find 2 victims suffering ANY of the same symptoms, regardless of age, get the FLIP out of the environment, call the FD and let them check out the environment from which the victims came. 3. If you, as an EMS provider, EVER show up and find someone down for any reason, and YOU suddenly find your head and/or eyes hurting, GET THE FLIP OUT of the environment and call the FD! Even if it is not CO, the FD will still thank you for playing it safe. And you might save your own life and those still in the house if it DOES turn out to be CO. Please read this twice, at least. Being handed an unresponsive kid was traumatic enough and will stay with me a long time. But saving her was the best Christmas gift I'll get this year, bar none. We in this business know we rarely get such a good alignment of the planets and actually end up high-fiving each other over a save. Know what you're getting into early, know when to ring the bell and back the flip out. Then call in the calvary so you can get home safely to your peeps so you can tell them the tale as you pat yourself on the back for seeing it BEFORE you became a victim of it. Be safe. Tapout

Phelps does not have 24/7 chamber staffing. Shame too. It is multiple victim sized and could have fit all 3. Kudos to WEMS for taking all 3 in separate buses no more than 5 minutes apart down to Jacobi.

Welcome all... and kumusta and mabuhay to my Filipino brother! Enjoy this site. It's an excellent source of info and entertainment. You may love what is said or you may hate it, but so long as you post intelligently and with respect, your views are as welcome as you are!

No trig necessary. Just light up the general area from which the blinding beam came and send a marked car to pick up the dumb... mo still standing there with his new lighty toy in his hand. Duh. Stupidity is job security for us.

All excellent posts. Our ER has been visited TWICE in the past 3 months by patients brought in by EMS covered in bed bugs. It was by NO FAULT of EMS. The patients both times "forgot to mention" the bug infestations in the houses from which they'd been transported. The 1st of the 2 didn't even tell us-- it was her social worker who called the ER over an hour after the pt's arrival to share the news with us that the pt had JUST gotten medicaire/aide approval for her house to be decontaminated, but the actual decon had not been done yet. Several of the staff had to bag and throw away brand new scrubs, shoes, etc. and the EMS crew who'd brought her in was taken out of service for hours to clean the bus, get new uniforms, the works. It sucked all around. :angry:

Hey, K-K-Khas... I don't think you deviated from the point of the story. I actually think you hit the nail on the proverbial redundant and ridiculously cost-ineffective head. Now, for those pilots suddenly looking for jobs... I know of a certain WCPD Aviation Unit looking for good pilots and TFO's (and are both willing and able to train the latter).

My prayers and broken heart are with his wife and his 6-yr old twin boys, suddenly without their daddy, spouse and real-life superhero. RIP, Detective Perry.

Here's the deal... I posted last week all angry about the negative feedback I was getting from patients and their family members about the EMS personnel who brought them to me. I got jumped on in the ER (more than usual) about things like face piercings, neck to chest tats, full-sleeve tats, mohawks, nine piercings in each ear... the full gamut. Then, the week ended with a local medic who brought in a septic old lady--- he had the cojones to argue with the lady's son over the fact that "she looks fine. Nothing's wrong with her." That son was a doctor but kept that fact to himself till he got to me. The medic kept telling the son he was wrong in his concerns, overreacting, not correct in thinking she even needed to go to the hospital... not knowing he has a doctor. That son went up 1 side of ME and down the other immediately upon arrival in my ER over that "know-it-all- I have Xray and CT scan-vision" medic with the nasty attitude. That lady came in with a 101.2 temp and taching at 156. Nothing wrong? Really? OK. You'll hear about it next time you bring me someone your xray eyes tell you I don't need to treat. NOW-- to the medic who brought the very same lady back to me the very next day she was discharged from the hospital (again, with sepsis and a UTI): you were wonderful. YOU convinced her she needed to come back to the hospital and you were absolutely correct. Again, she arrived with a temp of 102.3. Again, she was taching in the 160's. She adored you. Thank YOU for exemplifying professionalism, altruism, and just everything that motivates us to do what we do for the RIGHT REASONS. I hope you get this message (ALL of you, with or without xray vision). Off the soap box now. Good night, all. Be safe. Tapout

You have missed my point entirely. There is no vendetta against anyone here and I am only airing my point of view. Why do you always seem to feel the need to take a positive, mature discussion to somewhere negative and "bothersome" to you personally? Seems unfair, given your own often polarizing and opinionated remarks here on these forums. I am here to vent the same as anyone else, not defend myself to you every time I post. To anyone who finds themselves regularly offended by my comments here and find my opinion so bothersome, don't read beyond the big fat Tapout logo. It's your right. INIT915, well-said, as usual. Thanks.

I read this on a local news site and had to share it. To those reading who serve our country overseas and provide us all the right to do what we do and say what we say without fear of censorship or imprisonment, THANK YOU. To those who serve right here in the USA, as EMT's, medics, cops, firemen and even the crankiest of RN's, thank you all too. Happy Memorial Day to all of you-- you are true heroes. I'll be working the entire weekend but I hope you (those off-lucky f#$%ers ) enjoy your BBQ's. Just don't forget the real reason for the holiday. "The holiday was originally known as Decoration Day. It was proclaimed by General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic in May of 1868. He said the purpose was "for strewing flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land." New York was the first state to recognize the new holiday. And the day inspired generations of poets to pay tributes to the dead. William Cullen Bryant wrote: "Ah! Never shall the land forget -- How gushed the life-blood of her brave…" Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: "Your silent tents of green "We deck with fragrant flowers; "Yours has the suffering been, "The memory shall be ours." Maya Angelou: "How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!" For some of us Memorial Day may not be memorable, yet the tiny flags posted on the graves of loved ones in countless cemeteries around the nation show the devotion many people have to their fallen loved ones." Remembering is still important, for families and for the nation. The holiday is sacred---and it should involve us all.

Duly noted and totally forgiven. Now let's move on. Regarding the young man awake and alert, I completely agree-- let the line wait till you arrive in the ER. For the young man I mentioned, however, he rolled in looking pale as if he was lying in a casket, totally unresponsive to anything but my ratty knuckles rubbing into his sternum- hard. Would you have lined THAT guy? And for the older woman who OD'd on over 40 pills (2 different kinds) of antidepressants and was twitching and babbling incoherently, with a very irregular HR in the 150's and a BP of 80-90 systolics, would you have lined her too? For the record, neither came in lined. Both survived just fine- the younger AMA'd when his high wore off and the lady spent 24hrs in the ICU on a Cardizem drip for 12 hrs of that stay. Both will very likely be back. Please share your perspectives on both scenarios.

Great feedback from all of you. Thank you. I, as the receiving ER RN, promise to continue to provide the following: I will immediatley, upon arrival and hand-off, thank you for your wonderful, kind care and the line/bag-o-bloods: or I will ask you why you didn't start a line on an old lady with a baking temp or a young dude after a drug OD ( there have been several of those over the past month); and I will tell you why you need to apologize to the family who is pissed off at ME for YOUR insensitive, unsympathetic pre-hospital care. Fair enough? So, WAS967, is this all still ranting or is it now constructive discussion? Just curious.

Not ranting at all. Just sharing so you reading might learn from it. I already pat the good guy on the back. Bad guy medic I will catch another day.

I know this is not new, but the article is interesting nonetheless. For those who have used it, like it? Love it? Hate it? Why? I know most of you reading this are pre-hospital, but I still want to hear your thoughts. We used it recently in my ER, but the outcome wasn't a happy one. I welcome any input. Thanks... http://www.usatoday....ling29_ST_N.htm

Ok, I can put in a 14g in a hand either blind-folded OR in the dark and with or without a tournequit... but why on earth would I WANT to???!!! Yikes! Isn't that just cruel and unusual? T.O.

My hats off to all of you. I'm just so proud beyond words. It's why we ALL do what we do. http://www.lohud.com/article/20100405/NEWS03/4050381/Church-rejoices-as-New-City-man-is-revived-after-heart-stops-beating-at-Easter-service

Holy cow, Batman is RIGHT! 17 shocks. That's just crazy!

No argument about County PD involvement, but County PD Aviation would have had to have been specifically called out to aid in the search. As I am NOT of said unit, I cannot say definitively whether or not the copter was called.... but honestly, I don't think they were called. PM Chris192 for the final word.

Thanks for all of the useful and interesting replies. I hope the use of the code cool protocol PRE-hospital will improve the outcomes we end up with IN-hospital. Stay well, be safe and don't come to me in any way but to DROP OFF a patient. In other words, don't get yourself hurt on-scene and end up AS my pt. because I reeeeeally like my 16's and 18's in AC's and I can get them there overhand from across the room....

Apparently, many thought of the bird, wished they'd had the bird and wanted the assistance of the bird, but no one actually made the official call to get the (county PD) bird out to assist with the search. Glad it had a happy ending though, nonetheless.

While I find this funny that (for me) it's 12 years and about 9 million bites, scratches, punches, grabs and chokes too late, it's still better late than never! http://statepolitics.lohudblogs.com/2010/01/25/bill-would-make-assault-on-nurses-a-felony/

Good point, but the reality is that 99% of assault cases on ED staff will go unreported, regardless of the charge and its severity. We have enough paperwork to do as it is--- to add to it if I'm still upright with all limbs intact is just honestly not worth it. Additionally, those committing the assaults most times are mentally incapacitated in some way, either by organic illness or with the help of less-than-theraputic agents. Can the felony assault charge still "stick" on a delusional paranoid schizophrenic having a bad hair day, for example???

This is absolutely horrendous. Imagine the implications if these nurses are not vindicated. RN's will be even more afraid to report the lazy, incompetent MD's among us than they already are... and those pt's caught in the middle will suffer or even die. Nice, huh? http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/nurse-whistleblower-fingered-doctor-bad-medicine-face-10/story?id=9781119&page=1

Wow. And people ask why I don't post here more often. THIS is why. One guy starts this post with great points and good intentions, and 10 guys line up to bash him. I've tried this same thing a few times and, each time, have also been blind-sided by the same angry, cranky, cynical, pessimistic posters. Let's all jump off the bashing train and onto the Chris192 better in 2010 bandwagon. ALL of us have enough negativity to endure on our jobs, between sick, dying and injured people, angry, crazed, irrational family members, incompetent or just non-team-playing co-workers.... so at the VERY LEAST, on this forum, can't we all make a concerted effort to GET ALONG and respect one another??!!I'm not asking for a fricking Kumbaya pow-wow, just some mutual and unconditional respect for our OWN. We're all we've got at the end of a hellish shift, after all...

Hello, all--- I am organizing the mass vaccinations of every, single child in the NYC school system, in both public and private schools- for all 5 boroughs. This Dept of Health/Dept of Education program will go on for at least the next 2 months (likely more). I will be one of TWO trainers for the entire program (300+RN's). God help me-- it's overwhelming, to say the least. The only reason I am putting this out there for you all is so that when I call EMS for some weird anaphylactic rxn to the H1N1 vaccine or intranasal admin at some school anywhere in the 5 boros over the next 2 months, you'll know WHY. Anyone allergic to EGGS, LATEX, GENTAMYCIN, KIWI, MOST NUTS and MOST MELONS can and will react to the vaccine my nurses will be giving. Most kids won't know they are allergic to these things TILL WE GIVE THEM THIS VACCINE and they react in a bad way to it. We will have Epi Pens on hand but that's it. Get there soon (like seriously FORTHWITH) to provide everything else you'd expect from a true anaphylaxis (have the ETT ready so you WON'T need it). Also, as an FYI: any kid 10 or less will need TWO H1N1 vaccines or intrasal admins to be truly protected. Most kids won't react to the first dose but WILL react in an anaphylactic way for the 2nd dose. ALWAYS ASK THESE QUESTIONS upon arrival: 1st dose of H1N1 vaccine? 2nd dose? Allergic to eggs? Latex? Gloves? Tape? Gentamycin? Kiwi fruit? Nuts? Melons? I am so grateful in advance (and I hope to never need any of you).