WAS967

Actually, thats not entirely accurate. They're not immune per se. It's just that nobody has made many viruses for the Mac, but they DO exist. (http://antivirus.about.com/od/macintoshresource/g/macvirus.htm). And an Intel Mac running Windows is just as susceptible to virii as a PC. As for spyware, it's just easier for the spammers and whatnot to punch holes in Windows since it's used by 90%+ of PC users (and makes them more money than the Mac populace could).

One local agency that will remain nameless has DriveCam cameras. Some of the videos are quite entertaining. Check out http://drivecam.com/ for samples.

As for Regional, if memory serves, thier assets (ambulances and equipment) were bought out by Citywide. Many of the employees went over to Citywide as well.

I can't believe nobody remembered Westchester Ambulance. Formed by several Abbey Richmond employees back in the 1970s it operated as a privately owned agency up until 2000 when it was transfered to not-for-profit ownership under the Stellaris Health umbrella and became what is now know as WEstchester EMS. WAS was owned by the DeSimone family from Danbury CT from around 1995ish to 2000. They also own Danbury Ambulance and previously owned Nelson Ambulance out of the Bridgeport area.

Alot of the studies and journal articles about hypertonic solution therapy has been in regards to Traumatci Brain Injury (TBI). For hypovolemic shock and TBI alike, I'm more excited about something like this: http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/9e367...bccdrcrd/5.html

Call Phelps ELSP at 914-366-ELSP and ask Christina about upcoming courses. We run classes for CFR, EMT, EMT-I and Paramedic (Refresher only) every semester and there might be one coming up for Winter/Spring. If you have other people that need a refresher as well (6 or more i think is our minimum) we can possibly setup a class for you at your agency.

Has call distribution changed a lot in the past 10 years? When I worked in New Rochelle we rarely if ever went to the north end of town from Station 3. The only time we covered the north end was during snow storms. Would it make more sense to post it out of Station 1 and have it be second due for the south end? I guess it depends on how things have changed in the past decade.

Last year it was done in conjunction with the Super Bowl. Didn't happen this year that I know.

It's an NAEMT newsletter not a trade mag like JEMS or EMS. It's MEANT to focus on internal operation and keep members up to date on the latest goings on in NAEMT (They bought a building, whoopie.) I've been a member of NAEMT for probably about 10 years. Yes it's good for the resume. Yes it's tax deductible (talk to your accountant). The best thing about NAEMT is it gives us all a voice at the national level amongst other things.

I look at it this way. We carry NS. We carry D50. If you are worried about mixing Amiodarone in NS, then make yourself some D5. (Shaken not stirred). I've been told by some that they've seen precipitate when they injected it into a NS line, but I have not seen that myself. I have used Amiodarone with success but even the studies admit that it might be more effective in the short term but does not lead to any long term benefit (ie...increase resuscitation to successful discharge rates). SO. I think what most medics find daunting is the relative difficulty of use. It's a lot easier to slam in an amp of Lido and get on with other things than to sit there pushing Amio over 10 minutes. Plus we usually have a premixed bag of lido to hang whereas with Amio we have to sit there and mix up a bag to us then figure out HOW to use it.

My question is, if he was on a heart/lung bypass, how in HELL did his heart muscle not completely die in 2 days?

35mm film? Whats that? (j/k) Regarding the extra blanket at the ends, I like to fold a little extra at the top too especially for the cold days, I use it to cover the patient's head. If that doesn't work I typically carry a couple of towels and give my patient the "mother Theresa" look. You loose a lot of heat from your head and your feet. Keep em warm!

Response problems (lack of crews, lack of units, etc etc) aside, lets look at the other side of the coin. At present when people call an ambulance we only one of two choices in disposition: they either refuse to go to the hospital and we RMA them or they desire to go to the hospital and we take them. We have no recourse for the patient that does not demonstrate a medical need to go to the hospital (and thus medicare/aid will not pay for). Other cities have toyed with and I believe even deployed a system where EMTs can triage a patient as "no transport necessary" and they actually have the option to not transport. I think it may have been Chicago where they actually gave people bus tokens to use to get to the hospital if needed. Of course the ultimate issue that comes up is liability and what not. Everyone worries about getting sued for triaging a patient to a bus/taxi and then having them drop dead. But there is just as much possibility of that happening by going down the RMA route (and thus why RMAs are by far the biggest segment of disposition to end up in court). EMD and priority dispatch are a step in the right direction. We are finally seeing calls being dispatched BLS only in Westchester. I'd love to see it go the next step and move to where the response is also dictated by the priority system as it is in Putnam. For now I have no problem going cold to an "ankle injury" or a "leg pain" call and hope that if I am genuinely not needed that the BLS crew will call me off. I'm not going to kill myself getting to a call that is minor even tho some policy says I should respond hot to everything. And I won't have a problem telling 60 Control that I'm diverting from an obviously BLS call to take in a chest pain that I am closer to than another unit.

I didn't know MONOC came as far north as Nutley and Newark. Geez. I feel bad for all the people who will be out of work and the patients that will go without ALS care. Think the towns will step in and help out? I doubt it.

So far not a fun day. Codl and rainy, lot of calls, various car accidents despite the roads being rather barren. Yet there just seems something "warm" about the day. I can't explain it. It's wierd. <3 Thanksgiving. Enjoy dinner. Wish I could be there.

Part of the problem could be nipped in the bud if the triage nurses, when they encounter a patient that qualifies as non-emergent, were able to ask the patient if they might perhaps be better off seeing thier own PMD. But then the hospitals wouldn't make money off all the patients that come to the ER for "the minor stuff". Insurance companies should stress more to thier subscribers that they should go to thier doctor for things like coughs, colds, minor suture issues, etc. People immediatly think ER, maybe because they are unaware of the abilities of thier own doctors.

Not to nit pick, but the above is NOT an accepted sign of obvious death. Example: you pull a person from the frigid hudson and they look like a smurf. Do you declare them dead? I hope not.

Wow. Rolling Rock is no more? I loved going there when I worked at Sloper. Half the district rigs would be parked there for dinner.

Makes me wonder: do any agencies around here carry tazers?

I'm with ALS on his initial reply to Amato. Saved me a lot of typing in fact. If all you do on a scene is "Air and Stare" you might as well get out of the business. I understand Amato's frustration with extended responses from agencies who have a hard time getting a rig out. But in cases where the rig isn't that far out, there is PLENTY you can do to aide the patient AND the crew that is enroute beyond just sitting there with your oxygen going and twiddling your thumbs. Vitals, History, Pyschological First Aid, Actual First Aid, gathering medications from the 4 corners of the house into a bag to accompany the patient to the hospital, taking care of the patients needs before they go (getting thier keys, purse, etc....making sure pets are taken care of, talking to concerned family over the phone, etc). Our jobs sometimes go beyond patient care. If your not up to the extra stuff "because it's not your job" you need to rethink your career choices.

Got me all excited with the Dream Theater music in the beginning but then you changed it up! Argh! Good tune for the rest tho too.

I'm gonna take a stab at this one as a non-fire guy and say - He was on the nozzle. Shouldn't he have a guy behind him holding the hose in case it gets loose?

Definatly Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

Still limited to gluTose.

Some tips for those of you using glucometers to test blood sugar readings on your patients: 1) Clean the pinch site thoroughly with the prescribed solution (usually alcohol swabs). This is to ensure that there is no dirt, or other material that will contaminate the sample. This is very important in cases where a diabetic may have been trying to take sugar/glutose/etc in an effort to reverse a low sugar level. Residual sugar on the skin can cause a false high reading. 2) Make sure the solution that you used to clean the site is COMPLETELY DRY. If you don't let the alcohol/water/etc dry before taking the sample, it can cause the blood to be thinned out causing a false LOW. I suggest using a clean 2x2 to blot the site dry before pinching. 3) If you use the type of glucometer that draws the blood into the test strip or has a drop of blood that sits on top of a sensor, MAKE SURE YOU GAIN A COMPLETE SAMPLE. Make sure the test strip is full of blood, and make sure the sensor is covered with blood and not just half so. If the sensor on the glucometer does not have a complete sample, it can lead to a false reading as well (I've seen this happen numerous times with the Bayer Asencia Elite Glucomters. 4) Treat the patient and not your monitor. If you draw a sample and it reads 200, yet the patient is altered yet able to swallow, give the glucose anyway. First person to tell me they withheld glucose becuase the glucometer told them to, gets it bounced off thier helmet.