Difficult to precisely define and encompassing a wide range of situations, medical errors nevertheless can be devastatingly costly patients and to health care providers. Protecting against these mistakes is expensive, as well, with the value of the medical malpractice insurance market estimated by some to be over $17 billion and premiums increasing rapidly in recent years.

Geriatric patients are more likely to experience respiratory emergencies such as pneumonia, aspiration, and severe respiratory infections. A range of physiological changes, including muscle atrophy, can make airway assessment and management more difficult. 

It’s that time of year again, as May flowers are blooming, trees are dropping pollen and seasonal allergies are causing coughing, sneezing and a host of other uncomfortable symptoms. Maybe you can already verify it, but experts predict that 2022 will be a particularly bad year for allergies, as allergy season is getting longer each year and symptoms continue to worsen across the country. 

The more I work with alkaline batteries, the more impressed that I become. Packed in this compact cylinder is a modern miracle.

Although it’s something we should do year-round, we’re coming up on an especially notable time to say “thank you” to EMS workers. 

You are called to the nursing home to treat a “patient choking.” Upon arrival, you are rushed to the room of an elderly man who has suffered three previous strokes, resulting in limited mobility and significant speech impairment. Fortunately, the patient is no longer choking. Swift action on the part of the staff prevented an airway obstruction, and the patient is now resting comfortably. But is he truly out of danger? 

It’s a weekend night, and you're on your way to the home of a married couple. The husband reported that his wife fainted while they were making dinner, adding that he has a dull headache and feels weak. Based on these symptoms, you suspect the husband and wife may have carbon monoxide poisoning, so you’ll have to act quickly, and the patients’ airways may require treatment.

For adults and children, respiratory diseases are typically just a minor annoyance. For neonates, they can be fatal. Respiratory distress is a leading cause of death in newborns, particularly premature infants. In addition to infectious causes, it also occurs in 7% of neonates.

World Hemophilia Day, supported by the World Federation of Hemophilia, falls on April 17. Like other health events marked on the calendar, it’s an important opportunity to raise awareness about the blood clotting disorder and to ensure health care and treatment are more equitable and accessible for everyone affected by the disorder.