Your Paramedic crew is called to the home of a 58 year old male, “possible heart” Upon arrival to the home, you are greeted by the gentleman’s wife, who directs you to your patient. You find him sitting in a chair in the living room, appearing concerned, but in no serious distress. He tells […]

Here is the discussion for “71 year old male: chest discomfort” let’s review the prehospital 12 lead:     Here are the precordial leads blown up:   There is slight ST elevation in V1,  ST elevation in V2 (saddleback morphology), as well as slight ST elevation in V3 and V4. The STE in V3 and V4 […]

  This very interesting case comes from Bryan F, a Paramedic from Long Island. A 71 year old male is cooking breakfast when he experiences sudden onset of 10/10 chest discomfort. He waits 20 minutes or so for it to subside, but it does not and he calls 911. EMS arrives to find him lying […]

It is a beautiful summer afternoon when you and your partner are called to the beach for a “swimmer in distress”. Upon your arrival, you find a 48 year old male sitting on a beach towel, appearing to be in some distress. You are told that he was swimming in the ocean when he began […]

  It is a beautiful September morning when the tones go off for a 86 year old female, “altered mental status”. “Guess breakfast will have to wait”, as you and your partner head towards the residence. As you enter the one level home, you are directed to a back bedroom where you find your patient […]

  It is a bright Sunday morning when you and your partner are dispatched for an “adult male-chest pain”. You arrive at a well kept residence, noting a ladder and paint cans as you enter. You find your patient, a 57 year old male, sitting on the sofa in mild distress. “I was doing some […]

Transcutaneous cardiac pacing is an effective procedure for patients experiencing unstable bradycardia. Or is it? If you’ve read Tom’s introduction to the subject of false capture you’re already ahead of the game. We’ve shown case after case of unstable bradycardia patients receiving ineffective transcutaneous pacing due to a lack of capture. In each case, phantom pacing impulses […]

This is the discussion for “70 Year Old Male: Short of Breath“. Tough case. Lots of excellent comments and observations from our readers. Right off the bat, the patient’s presentation offered a major distraction: the recent eye surgery resulting in the old “eye patch presentation”. Confounding the situation further was the lack of any cardiac […]

Field termination of pediatric resuscitation is a difficult topic for EMS systems, prehospital providers, first responders, and the patient’s family. Clear guidelines exist for the termination of resuscitation of adults in cardiac arrest for both traumatic and non-traumatic etiologies, and routine transportation of adults in cardiac arrest all but guarantees poor outcomes. Unfortunately, for pediatric […]