The call came in as a patient being unresponsive. You arrive on scene to find an elderly woman, hunched in her wheelchair, semiconscious, with labored breathing. She has a history of stroke, and by the drooping appearance of her left side, which her family states is not normal, it appears she has had another.

You and your team arrive at the scene of a house fire on a snowy winter night. As several firefighters help the family of five evacuate the house, you see thick clouds of smoke pouring out of the windows and chimney. You know it’s possible that several of the occupants have suffered smoke inhalation and will need to be diagnosed and treated immediately. 

Each new year comes with a new set of challenges for EMS teams, but some ongoing issues medical professionals faced in 2021 also serve as strong indicators for what’s to come in 2022. 

2021 was another unique year for medical professionals, as the pandemic stretched into another year, reminding us how important it is to keep up with changing health and safety information. 

That message resonates with SSCOR, because the products we produce often directly impact patient health and well-being. It’s also a big reason we like to keep our customers and friends in the emergency medicine sector informed through our blog.

As we look to 2022, these were the most-read blogs from the past year. 

Medicine is an ever-changing ecosystem. As technology improves, new equipment is created that performs better, is safer, and easier to use. However, some devices withstand the test of time and have been with us for decades and its design will be with us into the future, albeit with some modern touches.

You arrive at the scene of the accident, where it was reported a young man was struck by a pickup truck while crossing a busy road. Approaching the scene, it’s clear he has likely suffered significant injuries. The truck’s windshield is cracked, and the patient has facial trauma and splayed limbs. You immediately begin to inventory the situation and start assessing whether the patient needs to receive a spinal immobilization. 

You are sitting at the nurse’s station catching up on some charting at the end of your shift. It has been a smooth 12-hours; all of your patients have been cooperative and everything has gone as planned. Suddenly, the daughter of one of your patients comes running out of the room, yelling that her mother just lost consciousness and doesn’t appear to be breathing. You grab the crash cart and call a Code Blue.

We’re heading into winter soon, with temperatures dropping, snow falling to the ground and people planning warm weather getaways. Regardless of the climate, however, emergency medical personnel must navigate a host of patient emergencies, while also protecting themselves and their equipment from adverse weather conditions.