Emergency medical responders are responsible for saving lives every day. Their knowledge and skills enable them to quickly assess and treat patients who may be unconscious, unable to communicate or located in remote terrain.

Tactical medicine, sometimes called SWAT medicine, is a high stakes branch of emergency medical services (EMS) that caters to the needs of law enforcement, the military, and other first responders. If your organization serves the general public, then you might think that tactical medical care is well outside of your wheelhouse. 

The reality is much different. The rate of mass shootings—and the number of casualties—is steadily rising. Political turmoil always has the potential to turn violent. And in 2017 alone, there were nearly 15,000 gun-related homicides in the United States, with more than 100 due to mass shootings. 

Sooner or later, you will encounter a tactical medical scenario. That’s why you need to be prepared with a portable tactical medical bag that keeps you and your patients safe. 

A crash cart is an integral component of emergency patient care. Although most emergency departments use these carts to treat cardiac arrest, they can also treat other emergency conditions and ensure that providers are able to promptly attend to patients at a high risk of serious morbidities and mortality. 

Before the pandemic, dental suction was primarily used to clear secretions, provide emergency treatment, and maintain a clean and accessible surgical field. However, COVID-19 offered a crash course in why every dentist needs to have quality, modern suction readily available for every patient, every time. 

Quality suction reduces the aerosolization of contagious particles. This helps to slow the spread of COVID-19, which can encourage patients to seek necessary dental care and potentially even save lives. Now is the time to upgrade your traditional dental suction tools. Here is what you need to know about quality, modern suction. 

A hospital visit can save a patient’s life. It can also destroy it if they pick up a virulent healthcare-associated infection (HAI). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that on any given day, 1 in 31 hospital patients have at least one HAI. 

The Yankauer suction catheter has a long and storied history in both emergency medicine and routine care. Developed in 1907, it has been a mainstay of airway management for more than a century. Dr. Yankauer was a groundbreaking provider in his time, who wanted to carefully suction surgical patients without damaging delicate tissue.

Suctioning can be life saving, and may prevent serious complications in the dental office or surgical suite. But suctioning can also be painful and traumatic, especially if the first attempt fails. Suction complications are common and become more likely when you use the wrong suction strategy. These tips can help you choose the right suction strategy for every patient every time. 

The past year has seen an unprecedented surge in airway emergencies, with millions of people across the globe infected by the COVID-19 virus. Whether your agency previously suctioned people daily or suction is new to your repertoire, odds are you’re doing more suctioning than ever before. 

COVID has changed virtually everything about respiratory care. For many agencies, respiratory emergencies requiring suction were once relatively rare, especially in some regions. Now, they’re a standard part of daily care, and every care provider must become a suction expert.