No More Neglect by Paramedics Australasia
Some amazing talks by some amazing speakers. I’d be willing to call this in the top 10 talks for 2016.
Thanks to those who put this together
Post by @ketaminh.
Gas in the Air
ETHANE, METHANE You should Commit these to memory.
They are the most common reporting format for major incident notification.
Major Incident
Exact Location
Type of Incident (MVC, MCI, HAZMAT)
Hazards Present or Expected
Access Safe Routes, NO GO Routes
Number and Severity of Casualties.
Emergency Services Present and Required
MIST Radio Card in 2 Versions and the METHANE Card (doc formated, so you can add or subtract as required by your SOP)
Podcast Audio for those who would like to stream it
http://dscotpodcast.podomatic.com
Its not an addiction I can quit anytime I want (why you should probably not buy and Aeropress)
If you spend a decent amount of time away from the rest of societies waking hours and your love coffee chances are you’ve found yourself wanting a brew at 3am. Reluctant to try and carry a full espresso machine in the car ( although it would make us popular at standbys) I was looking for an easy portable solution to my coffee woes.
One of the boys from the #EMSwolfpack put me on to the Aero Press, you can pick one up for about $50 from ebay.
I’m able to pack it down into a little blue bag with coffee and a cup and borrow some hot water from which ever Hospital I happen to be at. I’ve gotten so proficient I can usually make a cup in the time it takes to photocopy the patient record’s.
I’d recommend the Aeropress to any diehard coffee fans and I’m glad I can now have decent coffee on ranges with the army ( makes the medical car very popular)
Yesterday was a great day
I’m happy today, because the first step has been taken towards Paramedics becoming a registered profession.
Theres still work to do and the job of those that have put in the hard yards thus far isn’t over yet. We still have a ways to go.
But on behalf of those who have been waiting and cheering you on from the sidelines thank you for your efforts thank you for the sacrifices you’ve made and will continue to make
Because of you I’ll be telling trainees one day that I wasn’t a registered professional “back when I was your age”
Mitchell Thomas
Graduate Paramedic
I want you to phone a friend!
For a profession of carers we absolutely suck at caring for our own!
I say this because I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it happen to often, everyone will ask how you are in the minutes and hours after a big job. Then its mostly left to you to arrange any additional services you might need ( assistance programs, counselling sessions , if you are lucky enough to have that). I’ve always been a fan of the buddy check, or grass roots peer support. Peer support has been embraced by many services world wide, not only in the Ambulance and medical fields but also in just about everywhere else you can imagine.
What if someone has issues after the fact? What about if I don’t feel okay a month or two later, what if my behavior changes. Would someone out there have the courage to ask me whats going on and be prepared to accept the answer?
The first thing we check in any emergency is danger, we put ourselves before the patient, because everyone goes home. Why don’t be put ourselves first outside of work.
Unfortunately in the last few years we have lost 26 Paramedics in Australia to Suicide (between July 2000 and December 2010).
This is 26 to many, the happiest I could ever be is if I retire many years from now and this number never climbs.
So today, Call a mate reach out. Do and informal debrief (the kind with coffee or beer), develop a community culture in your workplace of caring for ourselves so we can care for others.
I’m back!
After a hiatus due to work, SMACC US and Life, I’ll be back to blogging and podcasting. Over the next few weeks you should see content appearing more regularly. Along with hopefully the development of a project that’s just in the planning stages that I’m sure you will love
Robbie Rants: HEMS Requests
Now back to regular programming!
Peer pressure works!
A short podcast, thanks to the PAIC2015 FOAMed attendees. I hope you’re happy with what you’ve started!
Click to play
Click to download
TQ Use (How to save a life)
Your out with some friends, in the bush/ backyard/on the mountain bike trail, behind you your mate screams and you turn around to see him holding a hand to his wrist, pressurised blood managing to makes its way around his clamped down palm. In the past, I would have improvised, made a solution out of whatever was easily available. But now for a relatively cheap outlay (less that $60 for a top of the line setup) I have some proper equipment. This scenario isn’t all that common, but to those of us who enjoy venturing far away from human habitation we recognise its a game ender. Often in prehospital work we say we’re nothing without our kit. While I can perform CPR and basic patient assessment with my hands. As the cautious prepared gent that I am I like to have some equipment handy should a situation arise.
There are various designs of Tourniquet out there. I’m not here to say that one is better than the other. But if your looking for the best, the SOFTT-W is hard to beat, I have about 4 or 5 rattling around bags, cars and my fiancés handbag.
They have been proven again and again in numerous trials that show without a doubt that stopping severe extremity bleeding early can only be advantageous. Leading to the placement of arresting life threatening hemorrhage above all else as the initial responsibilities of prehospital providers. This also goes for the outdoors and every day life. For 30 dollars you can get a pressure bandage and a SWAT Tourniquet which could be the tools you need at some point. Why improvise when the proper kit is available for two lunches at a hospital café!
The SOFTT-W (SOF Tactical Tourniquet Wide) is to my mind the best available. I own about 4 of them scattered throughout various equipment setups. The metal windlass and thick straps make for easy application, the D ring clip is secure and with some slight modifications the Tourniquet can be made thinner for packing away.
Credit to ITS Tactical for the Video.
http://www.itstactical.com/medcom/medical/streamline-your-softt-w-tourniquet-with-this-diy-flat-fold-method/
The SOFTT-W if purchasing it out of your own pocket is quite on par with the cost of most other devices and for that money you get a better device less likely to fail. It is currently the top recommended device for TCCC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJEKD_exUkA video from the manufacture Tac Med solutions.
CAT (Combat Application Tourniquet)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzXNsfesUb0 Manufactures video advising on use.
One of the original Tourniquets initially adopted for widespread used in the US Military after the need for more formalized TCCC was recognized in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Issue has been drawn with the Plastic Windlass bar snapping on lower limbs due to the tension required to successfully occlude femoral flow. Its important to note that that their have been various issues with inferior quality CAT’s making their way onto the market for the purpose of Re-enactment and these are not intended to be used as medical devices. Try and ensure your buying from reputable dealers of medical supplies.
The MAT (Mechanical Application Tourniquet) My least favourite device. Don’t spend your money on it. The housing in bulky, the release is far to easy to trigger, there’s a reason this thing got a solid not recommended rating from the TCCC Committee.
These two find their way into my pockets when I feel I’m doing something that may require them. A CAT Tourniquet and a OLAES 6inch bandage.
This is my super compact trauma kit, no larger than a Phone its got a perminate place in my trail running pack. A Sling, and elastic bandage, A SWAT-T Torniquet and a Quickclot sponge is enough to get me or someone else out of trouble without having to carry a firstaid pack. This augments a Boo Boo kit for scrapes, blisters and minor wounds.
All packed up and ready to go!
If your Still not convinced have a look;
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0736467909006386
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002961011002546
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020138313005688
Naimer, S. (2014) A Review of Methods to Control Bleeding from Life-Threatening Traumatic Wounds. Health, 6, 479-490. doi: 10.4236/health.2014.66067.
, and Minimising blood loss in early trauma resuscitationTrauma January 2014 16: 27–36, first published on October 1, 2013 doi:10.1177/1460408613504066
DOWNSTAIRS CARE OUT THERE BLOG 
Recent Comments