16. Stroke for first responders – August 2015 Stroke is the second leading cause of death or disability in Australia. The Australian Bureau of statistics report 60,000 strokes occur each year with one quarter in Victoria. As many as one […]
Continue ReadingSeizures and convulsions for first responders – August 2015 Seizures, convulsions, first responder, pre-hospital, emergency, ambulance, paramedic A seizure is a transient episode of abnormal and chaotic electrical activity within the brain. The brain is made up of nerve cells that […]
Continue ReadingOxygen therapy for first responders – July 2015 There was a time in pre-hospital practice where the administration of oxygen therapy was considered so routine that it was simply part of early management. The responders entered the room, introduced themselves, […]
Continue ReadingLower airway respiratory problems – July 2015 Many airway problems are located in the upper part, particularly at the back of the throat. However beyond the vocal cords into the middle and lower airways a number of other breathing difficulties […]
Continue ReadingUpper airway respiratory difficulties – July 2015 When assessing a patient with any illness, it is a good rule to always assume the worst. In this way there can be little chance of underestimating the severity of the illness. Respiratory […]
Continue Reading12. Managing breathing difficulty – July 2015 When managing the patient with breathing difficulty there are key actions to do and key actions to not do. These include positioning the patient, maintaining effective ventilation and avoiding causing any exertion. The […]
Continue Reading10. Respiratory assessment for first responders – July 2015 The respiratory system is capable of very different presentations. The difference between resting breathing that caters only for basic body needs and the great increase needed for light and heavy exercise […]
Continue ReadingThe respiratory system basics – July 2015 Human body cells require oxygen and an energy source with the ability to remove waste material after. The respiratory system is half of that process being responsible for delivering oxygen from the air […]
Continue Reading8. Nitrate therapy for first responders – July 2015 Glyceryl Trinitrate (GTN) comes in various presentations for use including transiderm patch applied to the skin, externally applied paste, an orally administered spray and fluid to inject into veins. Some of […]
Continue Reading7. Pre-hospital heart attack (Acute coronary syndrome) – July 2015 Chest pain is a concern for one major reason. Within the chest are important organs critical to life. Any problem within the chest has the potential to be significant and […]
Continue Reading6. Defibrillation for first responders – June 2015 Three decades ago, use of a defibrillator belonged to doctors, a handful of trained nurses and intensive care paramedics. Move forward a decade and these devices had become common amongst all paramedics. […]
Continue Reading5. Airway care for first responders – June 2015 Most patient care clinical guidelines or protocols start with a sentence along the lines of ‘ensure the patient has a patent airway’. Fair enough that would seem. What constitutes a patent airway […]
Continue ReadingCardiac arrest for first responders – February 2016 Arguably the most serious call of all for any pre-hospital responder is to the patient in cardiac arrest. The alternative for the patient is irreversible brain damage then death within a few […]
Continue Reading3. Problems with blood sugar – May 2015 Glucose is a key cell need along with oxygen. Glucose, a type of sugar, is an important substance used to provide energy production to fuel cell activities. It isn’t used directly in […]
Continue Reading2. Allergy, immune response and anaphylaxis – May 2015 The human body has a number of defence mechanisms to protect itself against the outside world. The skin, coughing and sneezing form one outer level of barrier. Inevitably some things get in […]
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