Many EMS personnel and healthcare providers have had to carry the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects over the past two years. According to a national survey, nearly 27% of the EMS workforce has had to quarantine at some point during the pandemic, and on average, respondents said over 18% of their practitioners have contracted COVID-19. They’ve endured all this while working on the frontlines to keep people safe and mitigate the spread of the virus. 

Most patients know only about continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) as a treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. But in emergency medicine, CPAP has many uses, particularly for neonates with respiratory distress. 

Cardiac arrest is a nightmare scenario for most first responders. Recent research suggests survival rates are as low as 6 percent when cardiac arrest happens outside the hospital. Immediate intervention is required, but if suctioning is required, treating a patient in cardiac arrest can be challenging. Here’s what you need to know about the procedure.

As we head into the coldest months of winter, many states in the U.S. will experience below-freezing temperatures, in addition to sleet, snow and a host of other inclement weather conditions. 

Airway obstructions are a common emergency, especially among pediatric and geriatric patients. Choking is a common hazard and a prominent cause of childhood death and injury among children under age four claiming at least one child’s life every few days. In the case of geriatric patients, the risk of airway obstructions due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, and airway injuries greatly increases with age. The airway also becomes more fragile as a person gets older, making it more difficult to treat airway issues. A number of techniques can open an obstructed airway, but the right technique depends on the reason for the obstruction.

Although encountering airway trauma is, fortunately, a rare occurrence for many first responders — as it accounts for less than one percent of traumatic injuries — the incidence of such injuries is increasing each year, and it’s vital that your team practices regular drills and remains educated about the most effective strategies for tracheal airway management in patients. 

When you think of suctioning, you generally think of a straightforward, yet lifesaving, procedure. For the most part, it is a relatively basic skill that can make a world of difference in your patient’s outcome. But even the simplest treatments must be performed using proper technique. As a quick review, the airway is divided into upper and lower structures.

Supraglottic airway devices are a mainstay of emergency management. They open the upper airway, allowing a person to breathe when there is an airway obstruction. Supraglottic devices such as the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) were once primarily used in surgical settings where a patient was under general anesthesia. Today, these devices are standard in many first responder’s kit because of their ability to quickly and safely secure the airway. When tracheal intubation or mask ventilation fail or become impossible to manage, a supraglottic airway can fill the void, preventing or treating serious respiratory emergencies. 

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.