Traumatic brain injuries are often in the news. Whether the damage is combat-related, work-related, sports injuries, or resulting from falls, much attention is being paid to their causes and treatment. traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) have been elevated to front-page news. The rate of TBIs in America is reaching frightening proportions. Here are some statistics:

If you were to design the ideal portable suction machine for emergency medical situations, what characteristics would you choose? The equipment used by EMS professionals takes a beating on a regular basis. Emergency calls happen in the most inopportune locations at any time of the day or night. The tools must be designed to withstand inclement weather, temperature extremes, and the rough-and-tumble arena of prehospital medicine. And when it comes to something as vital as your portable suction machine, there's no room for error. Let’s look at some important criteria when choosing the ultimate suction machine.

There’s never a bad time to brush up on your skills. As a paramedic, one of your most important objectives should be skills proficiency. If you feel a bit rusty or it’s been a while since you’ve performed some hands-on training, now might be a good time to schedule a course. And there’s no area more critical than advanced airway management.

It's three a.m., and you have just been dispatched to a "pediatric difficulty breathing." As you rub the sleep from your eyes, you perform a quick mental review of the PALS protocol, just in case. Perhaps the child simply has a cold, and the parent has panicked. It happens all the time. But perhaps it's something more serious. You had better be ready for anything.

Picture this: The storm had knocked out power across three counties, and unfortunately, your zone was situated in the thick of it. Although your station was equipped with an emergency generator, the steady influx of calls had kept you from touching base. And now you're dispatched to an overdose at the nearby homeless shelter.

You are called to a residence in the middle of the night. A frantic father meets you at the door and ushers you upstairs to his son’s room, where you find a four-year-old boy perched anxiously on the side of his bed. He is braced in a tripod position, his small arms rigidly fixed by his side as he leans forward, drooling into a puddle on the floor. The father noticed a fever last night when he put the boy to bed, but is astounded by the child’s rapid deterioration.

Every paramedic knows their equipment is only as good as its upkeep. Drugs go out of date, oxygen tanks become depleted, and batteries lose their charge. Unless you remain vigilant, your equipment will fail you when you need it the most. This is especially true of one of your most basic, yet essential tools: your portable suction unit.

When you think of intubation, you should automatically be thinking "suction." The two treatments go hand in hand; you cannot safely intubate without the aid of suction, which is why you must include the portable suction unit anytime there is the possibility of intubating.