Bonus Episode

The MedicCast is a proud member of the Blubrry Podcast Network.

Right Click here to download (Macs Ctrl Click)

Subscribe with iTunes here!

A podcast for EMT’s, Paramedics, and other medical providers of all kinds.

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This week, since the MedicCast crew is taking a holiday, I thought I would hook you all up with the Mitigation Journal’s recent episode on a spectacular industrial rescue that occurred in Monroe County, New York recently. Rick Russotti interviews one of the senior incident commanders in a rescue that involved a collapsed commercial elevator and two patients trapped under a forklift that shifted during the incident.

It is an excellent example of good scene control, operational management of a dangerous situation, and the treatment and rescue of two seriously injured patients. Rick was generous enough to allow me to put this up on the feed for the MedicCast Listeners. You are all going to be amazed by the story behind this spectacular rescue.

If you like what you hear, make sure you check out some of the other great episodes of the Mitigation Journal Podcast and let Rick know what you think. Contact Rick here:

Rick@MitigationJournal.com

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Link of the Week: Upcoming MedicCast Live episode on EMS in 2008!

Tuesday, January 8, 2008 at 10 PM ET

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Thanks for Supporting the MedicCast!

Visit the Forums at forums.mediccast.com

Rate the podcast at iTunes or at EMS Village or Vote at Podcast Alley

Visit the MedicCast Store!

Get the MedicCast Newsletter — Sign up now — it’s free!

Other Podcasts: MedicCast News, MedicCast Live, and Headliner News Roundup

Contact Me!

Call the Voice Mail Line — (941) 306-3342

send me a note at podmedic@mac.com

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Until next time, Scene safety, BSI!

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery has become common place in treatment of cardiac circulation blockage.  This surgery and the less invasive cardiac catheterization allow for return of normal circulation to the heart muscle.

Now a multinational trial treatment for emphysema patients will try out an airway bypass as a possible intervention to improve long term symptoms in these chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.  The study will look at an experimental treatment that connects areas of the lungs with trapped air to open bronchial passages, bypassing the constricted or disease damaged airways.

In patients with bouts of respiratory distress resistant to conventional treatments using beta agonists or CPAP, this may offer a significant opportunity to improve quality of life among severe emphysema sufferers.

Check out the article detailing the study’s goals here.

As a member of the Association for Downloadable Media (ADM), I am a firm believer in podcasting and other alternative forms of getting access to the information for which we are looking. I have joined the Education and Outreach Committee in order to do my part in forwarding that goal.

Over the coming year, the Education and Outreach Committee will formulate plans to improve public awareness of downloadble media and the different ways they can find and access the media sources they want. I want your input here at the MedicCast. Here are three questions I have for you:

1. What can I do to improve your experience downloading the MedicCast Podcast?
2. How did you find the show for the first time and was it easy to subscribe or download?
3. What can all podcasts do to improve their reach and how may existing listeners assist their favorite podcasters in spreading the word?

If you have answers to these questions or other suggestions for me, leave them here at the comments link below or email me at podmedic@mac.com.

In a retrospective study in the U.S., the American Heart Association reports that deaths related to heart disease or stroke have declined significantly over the 10 years from 1994 to 2004. The declines in both areas are nearly 25%!

While the study doesn’t immediately point out what the causes of the increased survival rates might be attributed to, I have to think that the reasons can be linked to a few things:

• Better diagnosics including twelve lead ECGs, imaging, and remote telemetry.
• Increased effectiveness of treatments for heart disease (meds, surgeries, and less invasive things like catheterizations).
• More public awareness of the dangers associated with stroke and CVD (less smoking, healthier lifestyles, etc.).

If you look at that list, you will see that the EMS providers are heavily involved in all three of the health care area mentioned above. We have expanded our use of ECG’s with better education of providers and better equipment to use in the field. We have implemented new recommendations to better treat CVD and CVA rapidly to stave off permanent injury while transporting to an appropriate facility.

EMS providers are also on the front lines when it comes to education and awareness by teaching CPR classes that include segments on recognizing life threatening emergencies like heart attack and stroke in order to call for help before cardiac arrest presents.

If you don’t think you have made a difference over the last year, then think about this study and the 1 out of 4 people who are alive today because of the efforts of the health care system, who might not be without us.

In two weeks I will be hosting another episode of the MedicCast Live! The topic of the discussion will be EMS in 2008: What are you looking forward to in the coming year?

• New Treatments or Protocols
• New Skills
• Equipment Upgrades
• Ambulance Designs
• Training Access

The sky is the limit and will be determined by you, the listeners, along with the MedicCast panel.

Send me your ideas and tune in live on Tuesday, January 8, 2008 at 10 PM ET. The MedicCast Live panel of experts will make their own predictions and talk about EMS expectations for the coming year.

Send comments and suggestions or predictions to the MedicCast by email,  by voicemail at 941-306-3342 (941 30-MEDIC).

You can also leave me a comment here by clicking the link below.

Ed Scrooge, EMT-P locked up his office after aother long day. He’d been teaching another class of probies the intricacies of EMS care. The grizzled veteran snorted at the thought. Trying to teach them was more like it. “Kids these days,” he muttered under his breath as he headed home. “All they care about is video this, internet that, and those darned music-pod things.”

At home that night, as the old paramedic settled into bed and was drifting off to sleep, the sudden rattling of chains woke him up with a start. Ed sat up and looked around in a daze. His eyes widened as he saw an apparition in front of him. The faded, translucent figure of a man in an old City Ambulance uniform. Around his neck were chains adorned with an overhead projector, a keyboard, and an mp3 player?
“I am the Ghost of Teachers Past, Present, and Future,” the figure groaned. “Ed Scrooge, you must change your ways. Your students are bored, the content is dull, and you just don’t care anymore.”

Scrooge hadn’t been scared by much since the day that pit bull took a chunk out of his leg and he wasn’t about to start now. He chuckled and pointed at the apparition, “Aren’t you supposed to be three different ghosts?”

“Budget cuts!” the phantom snarled. “Even in the afterlife EMS is short handed.” He pointed to a chair. “Mind if I take a load off? This stuff’s kind of heavy.” Scrooge nodded, and he moved over and sat down, sighing. Looking up with his glowing pale eyes, he smiled wryly and continued. “All the EMS ghosts are leaving to go haunt Jennifer Love Hewitt. The pay’s better and let’s face it, she looks better in a nightgown than you do in your t-shirt and sweats.”

“Can’t argue with that.” The aged paramedic answered with a grin. “Okay, so we are both tired of our jobs. What does that have to do with me? Are you trying to say that I should give up teaching? Don’t think I haven’t thought about it. I can’t seem to get them to tune in like they used to. I guess I’m out of touch.

The ghostly EMT leaned forward. “That is what I’m here to say, Scrooge. You’ve got to stop being afraid of the new technology.” Scrooge started to protest and the apparition raised his tattered hands to stop him. “Don’t tell me about old dogs and new tricks. EMS is all about new technology. You have more diagnostic tools in the back of units today than I did in my old Caddy! Pulse ox, capnography, and twelve-lead ECGs, to name a few.”

“Yeah, but what good does that do me in the classroom?” Scrooge asked.

“Stay with me, Ed.” the ghost continued.” You are right. Those pieces of technology don’t help you in the classroom, but they do make the jobs easier in the field. Technology is supposed to make the job easier or more effective, not harder.”

“How does a web video or that mp3 gadget hanging around your neck make my classes easier for me or better for my students?” Scrooge asked.

“Instead of listening to you, they could sometimes teach each other.” The phantom EMT offered. Seeing his target crook an eyebrow, he continued. “Break them into groups and assign them different skills like long board, elbow splinting, or assessment. Then tell them each to create a short video that demonstrates the skill. It can be humorous or serious, but it has to correctly demonstrate the task to the class.”

For the first time in years, Ed Scrooge smiled as he thought about teaching. “I could teach them to teach each other!” He exclaimed. He quickly regained his composure. “Yeah, okay, that’s one point.”

The ghost continued, “Do you like answering the same questions over and over again? What if you recorded your answers once and let the students download them from the class web page and listen on one of these,” he said picking up and dangling the mp3 player. “Better yet, you could just link to somebody else answering their questions and they get two points of view for the price of one.”

“What do you mean by ‘somebody else?’” Scrooge asked.

The ghost got up from the chair and picked up his chains with their heavy ornaments.

“There are a host of other teachers out there from medical schools, nursing programs, and independent paramedic educators like you who like to share what they know in subscription audio and video files called Podcasts. The best part is that most of them are available for free!”

“Free! I like free.” Scrooge admitted.

“The trick, Ed, is to make the technology work for you and not the other way around,” the Ghost of Teachers Past, Present, and Future said as he hefted his burden towards the door. “Make it another assignment for the class. Have them come up with new, credible content for the class. The best part is that you can put those links in the next class’ handouts.”

The apparition was fading as he neared the door, but he stopped and looked over his shoulder at Scrooge one more time. “Get the company IT guy to show you how to create links on the class web page. Leave the links there for the students to use at home, then I won’t have to come back again next year!” The phantom EMT was almost transparent now, fading into the closed door. “You’re a smart guy, Ed Scrooge,” the final words fading, too. “I know you’ll figure it out.”

Ed Scrooge, EMT-P and academy instructor, sat back in bed and thought about what the ghost said. Getting the students to help teach the class was a good start but Ed was already thinking about something else. “I wonder if I can get them to bring free food?”

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Merry Christmas to all of the MedicCast Listeners! Stay safe this holiday season!

Jamie, the Podmedic

Welcome to Episode 98

The MedicCast is a proud member of the Blubrry Podcast Network.

Right Click here to download (Macs Ctrl Click)

Subscribe with iTunes here!

A podcast for EMT’s, Paramedics, and other medical providers of all kinds.

Fill out the New Survey!

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Sponsored by the New MedicCast Store: T-Shirts, Waterbottles, and more!

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MedicCast Listener Deals at GoDaddy.com –

Code BLU27 gets you 10% off your order at checkout
Code POD27 gets you 10% off any web hosting order at checkout
Try them out and get your piece of the internet at GoDaddy.com!

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Link of the Week: Upcoming MedicCast Live episode on 2008 in EMS. What to expect and look forward to!

Tuesday, January 8, 2008 at 10 PM ET

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News:

New Use for Old Ambo

Patient Leaps From Unit

Woman Left for Dead

MVA Victim Not Found

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Tip/Trick of the Week — Glasgow Coma Score (GCS)

Glasgow Coma Scale Wikipedia Page

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2007 retrospective

A look back, a look forward, and thank-yous for linking in to the show, contributing your comments, and submitting an iTunes review.

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Thanks for Supporting the MedicCast!

Contribute - Question - Comment at forums.mediccast.com

Visit the MedicCast Store! Get your own MedicCast “Shock Other Side” T-shirt

MedicCast Newsletter — Sign up now — it’s free!

Other Podcasts: MedicCast News, and Headliner News Roundup

Call the Voice Mail Line — (941) 306-3342

or send me a note at podmedic@mac.com

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Podsafe Holiday Music from Geoff Smith My Own Merry Christmas

Check out his music at the Podsafe Music Network

Click here to get Songs from the MedicCast at the iTunes Store.

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Until next time, Scene safety, BSI!

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Maryland Poison Control hotline releases their ToxTidbits every month on different topics related to the time of year.  This year, for the holiday season, they released a list holiday poison dangers in the home.  Take a look at the list of tips* below.

Holiday Hazards

The Maryland Poison Center receives many calls about exposures to holiday decorations, plants, and other seasonal products. Here are some “holiday hazards” that health care professionals should be aware of:

1. Ornaments are made of glass, thin metal, styrofoam or wood and can break easily. Ingestions may cause cuts and esophageal obstructions. Very old ornaments or ornaments from other countries may contain lead.
2. The liquid in bubble lights is usually methylene chloride. Ingestions can result in lethargy, respiratory depression, changes in blood pressure and heart rate and GI upset may occur. Methylene chloride is partially metabolized to carbon monoxide; elevated carboxyhemoglobin levels may be noted.
3. Lamp oils and air fresheners contain hydrocarbons that can easily be aspirated by small children if ingested.  Children experiencing significant coughing and choking must be evaluated in an emergency room for possible aspiration pneumonitis.
4. Most snow globes contain plastic or calcium carbonate in water; however, snow globes containing ethylene  glycol (antifreeze) in concentrations as high as 20% have recently been discovered. Most have no ingredients listed on their labels.
5. Small children may have access to unattended and left over alcoholic beverages. Other sources of ethanol include after shaves, mouthwashes, colognes and perfumes. Ingestions can lead to inebriation, lethargy, coma and hypoglycemia in toddlers.
6. Contrary to popular belief, poinsettias do not cause toxicity other than mild dermal or gastrointestinal symptoms. Holly berries can cause nausea and vomiting if eaten in quantity. Most mistletoe in the United States is a variety that causes minimal effects (GI symptoms only).

*from December 2007 ToxTidbits newsletter bulletin at http://www.mdpoison.com

You can subscribe to the ToxTidbits email newsletter from Maryland Poison Control even if you don’t live in Maryland.  Just go to this link and sign up!

For those of you who like to listen to MacBreak Weekly you might want to check out these two links to a list of 365 calendar sayings from MacBreak Weekly guest, Merlin Mann. I think it’s pretty cool (if just a little geeky). You can download the .ics calendar version or just the pdf list.

.ics calendar version (right click to download)

.pdf calendar version (right click to download)

Just some geeky fun for the holidays!

Jamie, the Podmedic

blubrry.com

Watch your backs out there folks!  I found this story out of Portland, Oregon that reports a paramedic being accidentally tasered by police officers while trying to subdue a suicidal patient.  It just points out that we have to be aware of threats from “friendly fire” as well as threats from the normal scene dangers.
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I report on this and other EMS news in the most recent episode of the MedicCast News at the Podcaster News Network.

Jamie

the Podmedic

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