ems term #441

orthopnea - shortness of breathe while lying flat.

ems assessment tip #420

bradycardia in a patient with a suspected head injury is a very serious sign of brain injury.

ems term #8

abruptio placenta - the premature separation of the placenta from the uterine wall.

ems assessment tip #414

if the patient -adult or child -has not suffered a significant mechanism of injury (moi) but is exhibiting signs and symptoms of shock or a severe injury, assume the patient is injured and provide immediate emergency care based on the clinical findings and not the moi.

ems term #4

abdominal cavity - the space locatebelow the diaphragm. that extends to the pelvis.

ems assessment #407:

if the scrotum is swollen and red in a male patient with trauma to the pelvis,  suspect a possible pelvic fracture with internal bleeding.

ems terms #3:

ems terms #3: abdominal aortic aneurysm - a weakened, ballooned, and enlarged area of the wall of the abdominal aorta

ems assessment tip #405:

a patient with severe abdominal pain will often lie extremely still, draw his knees up froward the chest, and breathe fast and shallowly to reduce the movement of the diaphragm. the condition usually involves irritation of the peritoneum (lining of the abdominal). a patient who is complaining of pain but feels better if he is up and walking may be suffering from a bowel obstruction.

ems teem #2

abdominal aorta -the portion of the depending aorta that extends from  the thoracic portion of the aorta proximally to the distal point where the aorta divides into the Iliad arteries.  arteries branching from the abdominal aorta supply the abdominal organs.

ems assessment tip #404

a patient with a simple rib fracture may breathe very shallowly and rapidly because of the pain associated with deeper breathibg. By intentionally breathing shallowly, the parient is lowering the tidal volume ans making. The ventilation inadequate.this canlead to hypoxia in the parient with a rib fracture,particularly in the elderly and those with underlying lung disease.

Google launches public alerts

The Next Web: Google launches Public Alerts, providing users with emergency and public safety messages http://goo.gl/mag/hHbcg

ems fact #203

partial pressure of gases in ambient atmosphere at sea level

gas - % - partial pressure
oxygen - 21% - 159 mmHg
nitrogen -79% - 597 mmHg
argon - 0.9% - 7 mmHg
carbon dioxide - 0.03% - 0.3 Knuth

ems term #1

abandonment - the act of discontinuing emergency care without ensuring that health care professional with equivalent or better training will take over.

ems assessment tip #395

a parient with anemia, who has a low number of red blood cells or low hemoglobin content to start with, may take longer do become cyanotic when hypoxic.

ems term #365

mechanism of injury - the factors and forces that cause traumatic injury.

ems assessment tip #342

when patients are asked about their last meal, they often interpret this as breakfast, lunch, pr dinner, which may have been several hours from the time of the call, and not provide information about smacks between meals, which may have occurred very close to the time of the call. that is why you should ask about their last oral intake and not the last meal.

ems documentation method - CHART

C - chief complaint of the patient
H - history of the patient (including the SAMPLE histrory)
A - assessment findings gathered in the primary assessment, secondary assessment, detailed physical exam, and ongoing assessment.
R - Rx for treatment that was provided to the patient
T - transport - any change in the patient's condition enroute to the hospital and the type of transport.

darpa's firesuppression wand

Gizmodo: Watch As Darpa's Fire Suppression Wand Magically Extinguishes These Flames [Video] http://goo.gl/mag/cE6KW

ems term #405

paradoxical movement - a section of the chest that moves in the opposite direction to the rest of the chest during the phases of respiration. typically seen with a flail segment.

ems teem #420

aspiration - breathing a foreign substance into the lungs.

ems assessment tip #394.2

capillary refill alone cannot provide an accurate assessment of perfusion in infants, children or adults. you must also assess the mental status, heart rate, peripheral and central pulsses, skin signs, and bloood pressure to determine the perfusion status of the patient.

ems formula #209

alveolar ventilation = (tidal volume - dead air space) x frequency of ventilation / minute

alveolar ventilation - the amount of air that enters the alveoli for gas exchange
tidal volume - the volume of air in each breath
dead air space - anatomical areas in the respiratory tract where no gas exchange occurs but air collects during inhalation.

ems term #391

apnea - absense of breathing; respiratory arrest.

ems assessment tip #390

because brain cells require a constant supply of oxygen, an altered mental status may be an early sign of hypoxia.

ems fact #217

blood is distributed in the various components of the cardiovascular system as follows;
venous - 84%
arterial - 13%
pulmonary vessels - 9%
capillaries - 7%
heart - 7%

ems term #326

pulsus paradoxus - a decrease in pulse strength during inhalation.

ems assessment tip #334

when you take orthostatic vital signs, moving the patient from a supine to a standing position provides the best results. a supine-to-seated position will provide orthostatic vital signs if they are present but is not as accurate.

ems terms #331

pulse pressure - the difference between the systolic blood pressure and the diastolic blood pressure.

ems assessment tip #330

when assessing for pupillary reaction, use only a penlight with a regular bulb, not an LED. also do not use a flashlight with a bright light. these could be uncomfortable for the patient to look at.

ems term #268

residual volume - the air remaining in the lungs after a maximal exhalation.

ems assessment tip #267

prior to suctioning, to avoid inserting the catheter too far into the oropharynx, the hard suction catheter can be measured with the tip placed at the angle of the jaw and a landmark established at the corner of the mouth.

ems term #75

minimum data set - the minimum information the u.s. department of transportation has determined should be included on all prehospital care reports.

ems assessment tip #156

damage to the spinal cord will typically produce a loss of sensation or movement distal to the injury, whereas an injury for the spirit al column (vertebrae) will usually produce only pain.

Motorola completes phase one of public safety LTE testing

Motorola completes first phase of public-safety LTE testing

ems term #96

SBAR - situation, background, assessment, and recommendation; a method of organizing communications about a patient.

ems assessment tip #165 - medical

the immature respiratory chest muscles of the infant  and young child often mean they need to use their abdominal muscles more during breathing; thus, you would expect to see more exaggerated abdominal movement during normal breathing.

ems term #381

penetrating trauma - a force that pierces the skin and body tissues, for example, a knife or gunshot woumd.

ems assessment tip #392 - medical

the patient with an SpO2 reading of 95% or 96% who has been receiving oxygen by nonrebreather  mask at 15 lpm for a period of time will likely become hypoxemic upon removal of the oxygen.

ems term #391-2

dyspnea - shortness of breath or perceived difficulty in breathing

ems assessment tip #443-1 - medical

in a medical patient who complains of a sudden onset of shortness of breath, assess the lower extremetities for pain, redness, or swelling to one calf. the patient may also have pain in the calf when pulling his foot backward toward his head. this may be an indication of a blood clot in a deep vein of the lower leg that has broken off and traveled to the lungs.

ems term #648-2

aura - an unusual sensory sensation that may precede a seizure episode by hours or only a few seconds.

ems assessment tip #653 - medical

paralysis to one area of the bodt may occur following a generalized seizure and may last up to 24 hours. this is referred to as Todd paralysis. it may also indicate a space-occupying problem in the brain is causing the ssizure.

Smartphones to save lives in natural disasters | Homeland Security News Wire

Smartphones to save lives in natural disasters | Homeland Security News Wire

ems term #997

parentheses - a prickling or tingling feeling that indicates some loss of sensation.

ems assessment tip #997 - trauma

if the foot or ankle is injured, having the patient push down or pull back with the great (big) toe will give you the same results as if the entire foot were tested.

San Diego Beacon project delivers real-time patient data

San Diego Beacon Project Delivers Real-Time Patient Data - San Diego Beacon Project Delivers Real-Time Patient Data - jems.com

ems term #764-2: referred pain

pain that is felt in a body part removed from the point of origin of the pain.

ems assessment tip #775 - medical

inspect inside the mouth of the patient complaining of acute abdominal pain. if the oral mucosa is pale, it may be an indication that the patient has been bleeding over a long eriod of time.

ems terms #670

diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)  hyperglycemia with low to absent insulin level, resulting in dehydration and a buildup of acid.

ems assessment tip #676 - medical

many people are unable to smell acetone: thus you may not be able smell the fruity odor on the DKA patient's breath.

ems assessment tip #698 - medical

medical: what appears to be a mild allergic reaction can progress to a severe, life-threatening anaphylactic reaction within minutes.

ems assessment tip #394 - trauma:

if the patient has lost a significant amount of blood, the arterial bleeding may not be spurting by the time tou reach the scene. the loss of blood volume will reduce the pressure to the point that it is no longer great enough to make the blood spurt, instead, the bleeding will be a steady flow.