Ambulance paramedics

Nor A, Me Allister C, Louw S et al. (2004). Agreement between ambulance paramedic-and physician-recorded neurological signs... 

Original It is a familiar nightmare a person suffers a heart attack, and as the ambulance fights heavy traffic, the patient dies. In fact, 350,000 American heart-attack victims each year die without ever reaching a hospital. The killer in many cases is ventricular fibrillation, uncoordinated contraction of the heart muscle. Last week a team of Dutch physicians reported in The New England Journal of Medicine that these early deaths can often be prevented by administration of a common heart drug called lido-caine, injected into the patient s shoulder muscle by ambulance paramedics as soon as they arrive on the scene. 

Properly documented Ambulance paramedics can, and often do, play a vital... 

In addition ambulance paramedics may administer a range of named injections in... 

Originally, the Medicines Act 1968 and associated secondary legislation allowed only doctors and dentists to write prescriptions for POM. The Prescription Only Medicines (Human Use) Order 1997, known as the POM Order, contains some specific exemptions that allow for the sale or supply and administration of certain POM directly to patients, without the directions of a doctor or dentist. These exemptions, which continue to apply, relate to midwives, ambulance paramedics, optometrists, and podiatrists and chiropodists. 

External defibrillation was first performed in 1952 and continues as a routine procedure in hospitals and ambulances. The problem of external defibrillation has not been a technological one, but rather a legal one. Only in the 1990s have laws been passed to permit people other than doctors and paramedics to operate semiautomatic defibrillators to provide help when it is needed. New and better defibrillation devices continue to come to market and are easier and safer to use. 

Bray JE, Martin J, Cooper G, Barger B, Bernard S, Bladin C. Paramedic identification of stroke Community validation of the Melbourne Ambulance Stroke Screen. Cerebrovasc Dis. 2005 20 28-33. 

Despite suffering from asthma, Wheeler had succeeded in the tough world of college football. After Wheeler collapsed, he was taken away in an ambulance, and another player informed coaches that Wheeler had taken Ultimate Orange, an ephedra supplement. Trainers and paramedics tried to help Wheeler catch his breath with his inhaler. Unfortunately, the inhaler did not help and Wheeler died. 

A 62-year-old woman was without respiratory illness until the day she cleaned with a mixture of ammonia and bleach. She noted eye, nose, and throat irritation, but continued to clean for several hours. Several hours later, she noted increasing respiratory distress and called an ambulance. Upon arrival, paramedics had to intubate her at home due to respiratory failure. The woman recovered after 30 days of hospitalization, though a roentgenogram taken 38 days after admission showed residual interstitial infiltrate. 

Paramedical support vehicle (ambulance, helicopter, aircraft)... 

With the constant threat of accidental releases of hazardous materials and the potential use of chemical weapons by terrorists, local emergency response providers must be prepared to handle victims who may be contaminated with chemical substances. Many local jurisdictions have developed hazardous-materials (HazMat) teams, usually composed of fire and paramedical personnel who are trained to identify hazardous situations quickly and to take the lead in organizing a response. Health care providers, such as ambulance personnel, nurses, physicians, and local hospital officials, should participate in emergency response planning and drills with their local HazMat team before a chemical disaster occurs. 

If breathing or heart has stopped, immediately call professional help by dialling 999 or 112 and asking for the ambulance service. Give precise directions to the scene of the accident. The casualty stands the best chance of survival if the emergency services can get a rapid response paramedic team quickly to the scene. They have extensive training and will have specialist equipment with them. 

Telephone assessment and computer-aided triage can identify nonserious calls, which could have a significant impact on emergency ambulance dispatch rates. Nurses were more likely than paramedics to assess calls as requiring an alternative response to emergency ambulance dispatch, but the extent to which this relates to aspects of training and professional perspective is unclear. 

This device can be used by paramedics or nonspecialized personnel that handle emergency cases, in order to get directions from expert physicians. The system comprises two different modules (i) the mobile unit, which is located in an ambulance vehicle near the patient, and (ii) the consultation unit, which is located at the hospital site and can be used by the experts in order to give directions. The system allows telediagnosis, long-distance support, and teleconsultation of mobile healthcare providers by experts located at an emergency coordination center or a specialized hospital. 

Send for assistance—a doctor, an ambulance, or a rescue squad. In some communities, paramedic teams may work with the firemen and police. 

As soon as possible, transport the victim via private car, ambulance, police, or paramedics to the nearest hospital and/ or physician. Be sure to take samples of the suspected poisonous plant... 

See the doctor. A physician should always see a victim of poisoning as soon as possible with transportation provided by private car, an ambulance, the police, or paramedics (fire department). Also, take the poison container and label along. 

I etween a 911 call and the arrival of paramedics and an ambulance, a crucial difference to an accident victim s recovery on a eonstrue-tion site can be made by the immediate onsite availability of trained employee-responders with the right first-aid equipment and supplies. 

The transfer of casualties to the hospital will depend on the type of emergency medical service deployed. Some countries such as France deploy medical personnel with the ambulance response teams, and these can provide definitive early life-support and antidote treatment whilst delaying transfer. Other paramedically operated ambulance services have an early transfer to the hospital as a priority, delaying treatment until reaching the emergency department. Factors affecting transfer include the number and severity of contaminated casualties, location of the incident, weather conditions, distance to the appropriate medical facilities and the resources available. 

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