
Continue reading “Lessons for management of acute agitation in rural EDs”
The Top Ten Anaesthetic iPhone Apps by the Vent
The Top Ten Anaesthetic iPhone Apps http://t.co/Nd0PYtbixp
— The Vent (@TheVentOrg) March 17, 2015
RSI Basics Podcast with Minh Le Cong (@ketaminh on twitter)
DOWNSTAIRS CARE OUT THERE BLOG
A Podcast with Minh Le Cong on beginner RSI. Recorded for my own personal reference but its such a great resource for Paramedics, Paramedic Students and a good all round touch up on the subject with a person much more knowledgeable than I.

If your not listening to Minh I highly suggest you start! His podcast was my first step into #FOAMed, so its an absolute honor to have him on my own.
You can find the Podcast over on I-Tunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/downstairs-care-outthere-podcast/id876296199c (please take time to leave a review or rating!!)
Below you will find some of the papers, trial and websites that we mention throughout, all are a good read. There’s also a number of different checklist ideas.
PHARM Podcast 61:
https://prehospitalmed.com/2013/02/19/pharm-podcast-61-rapid-sequence-intubation/
The Original RSII Article;
The study protocol for the Head Injury Retrieval Trial (HIRT): a single centre randomised controlled trial of physician prehospital management of severe…
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SMACC Junior
Word on the Street: Talking SMACC

A Bit About Paeds Trauma for Those Who Do A Bit of Trauma
This is a post put together by Dr Andrew Weatherall as background preparation for a talk at the SPANZA Paeds Update from March 14, 2015. This is an update for the occasional paeds anaesthetist. It’s not about covering it all but hopefully there’s a few useful points in there to prompt a little thought and discussion.
For lots of people who do a bit of paediatric care, there’s a bit of nervousness around little people. It’s a bit disproportionate to the numbers of actual cases of course because paeds trauma is not common. In fact, rates are slowly going down.
There is also a common paediatric conundrum to deal with – what do you do with adult evidence? This is because overwhelmingly trauma literature deals in the bigger, smellier version of Homo sapiens.
So the challenge is to provide a refresher on something that is getting less common for…
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SMACC IT by Jonathan Downham & Oli Flower

Continue reading “SMACC IT by Jonathan Downham & Oli Flower”
Inter Hospital Transfer
DOWNSTAIRS CARE OUT THERE BLOG

Not much research has been done in this area relating to interhospital transport, but a lot of good practice from the hospital can apply to us. You obviously have fews sedating medications available but the principle remains the same.
Take your safety into account and if your concerned raise it with your partner, the sending and receiving hospitals.
It takes a few minutes to sort out any issues and can prevent a major mishap further down the road.
All view and opinions are my own, always observe local protocols and procedures.
Work Hard and be good to your patients!
What to read;
ABC’s Transfer and Retrieval Medicine; Chapter 42, Acute Behavioural Disturbance M. Le Cong
ABC’s Prehospital Emergency Medicine; Chapter 4, Scene Safety V. Calland & P. Williams
What evidence exists about the safety of physical restraint when used by law enforcement and medical staff to control individuals with acute…
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The world’s craziest work commutes
Let’s be clear! Not all trauma patients must be treated with spinal immobilization during prehospital resuscitation and transport.
Spinal immobilization is performed in all trauma patients from the rescuers in EMS systems all over the world, regardless the mechanism of injury and the clinical signs.
This kind of approach is nowadays been rebutted from the recents evidences and the actual guidelines.
ACEP, in Jan 2015, released a policy statement entitled :”EMS Management of Patients with Potential Spinal Injury” clarifying the right indications, and contraindications, for spinal immobilization in prehospital setting.
The lack of evidence of beneficial use of devices such as spinal backboards, cervical collars etc… is in contrast with the demonstrated detrimental effects of such instruments: airway compromise, respiratory impairment, aspiration, tissue ischemia,increased intracranial pressure, and pain, consequent to spinal immobilization tools, can result in increased use of diagnostic imaging and mortality.
Already in 2009 a Cochrane review demonstrated the lack of evidences on use of spinal restriction strategies in trauma.
Recently the out of hospital validation…
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Immediate care at the community level
DOWNSTAIRS CARE OUT THERE BLOG
I want to talk about getting your community involved in CPR Programs and CPR education. Often I hear people, friend, family, acquaintances, bystanders talking about CPR, often I hear “I couldn’t do CPR I haven’t done a course”
Ambulance Computer aided dispatch has been providing CPR instruction over the phone for years, once a Cardiac or respiratory arrest is identified by information given by the caller a prompt is delivered to the call taker scripting providing CPR instruction to the caller, after establishing the ability of the person to perform CPR instruction is given for 100 beats per minute with no “rescue breaths”
CPR is an easy skill to provide a passing understanding of to the general public.
I can do the shopping centre version in under two minutes with a short practice.
1; Make a W start at the top and bottom of the sternum
2: Press at the…
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Caring for the ‘invisible wounds’: – A former Paramedic’s mission to help build Resilience in the lives of Emergency workers.
EMS Management of Patients with Potential Spinal Injury
Rigid spine boards for immobilization. They knew it was garbage 15 years ago ! Hasnt changed http://t.co/K32PuJzHnt pic.twitter.com/CyuVZXXEz3
— Mike Abernethy (@FLTDOC1) January 9, 2015
Continue reading “EMS Management of Patients with Potential Spinal Injury”





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