Suctioning a patient can maintain a patent airway, remove life-threatening airway obstructions, and prevent aspiration in vomiting or bleeding patients. But airway suctioning is not without risks, including changes in blood pressure. First responders must understand the link between suctioning and blood pressure to prevent both hypotensive and hypertensive states. 

Mold can present dangers for individuals in their homes, office spaces and many other indoor and outdoor environments. Notably, as a fungal growth that forms on damp and decaying organic matter and grows during all seasons of the year, mold can cause a range of respiratory emergencies if its spores are inhaled. 

Although it may seem like COVID-19 is the only respiratory disease crisis on medical professionals’ radar, influenza and pneumonia season is around the corner, and doctors worry that it may be more severe than people expect.

When transporting a critically ill patient, it’s easy to focus only on the medical emergency. But ambulance crashes are common; more than 6,500 ambulance crashes occur each year, claiming an average of 33 lives annually. Ambulance safety depends on taking proactive steps to mitigate risk in the event of a crash.