Responding to calls from patients who require accurate pulse oximetry readings can happen often. It’s important to be prepared to do so and understand different aspects of pulse oximetry. For example, reasons you may get an erroneous reading and different parts of the body to use to get a reading from. In this course, we will review these topics and more to create a list of ten things EMS providers should know about pulse oximetry.
Course Type: Full-length Course
Course Duration: 60 min
Many studies have been done comparing the results of different methods to use when responding to patients suffering from cardiac arrest and the best techniques to use for the highest rate of survival. Throughout this course, some of those studies will be compared to show the results and which techniques were found to be most successful in patient survival.
Course Type: Full-length Course
Course Duration: 60 min
For decades, rapid sequence intubation (RSI) has been the most-used intervention for select respiratory care, especially in acute and critical prehospital settings. This course will take a look at a more effective way to care for patients who require manual breathing techniques that avoid hyperventilation and improve overall patient outcomes.
Course Type: Full-length Course
Course Duration: 60 min
Confirming tube placement can be difficult if you don’t know what signs to look for. Using a capnography machine is one way to confirm tube placement and ensure you provide the right patient care. In this course, we will review the makeup of the lungs, how gases are exchanged, and the importance of monitoring waveforms to confirm the tube remains in the right position and the patient is not under or over-ventilated.
Course Type: Full-length Course
Course Duration: 60 min
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure or CPAP is a BLS and ALS tools that can save lives, reduce hospitalization times, and provide better patient management in the field. This presentation provides a history of CPAP, overview of patient selection criteria, standards of care, assessment, application of CPAP in the field and transition of care to the Emergency Department. Disposable CPAP devices and use of capnography with the application and titration of CPAP promise to increase utilization and improve patient outcomes.
Course Type: Full-length Course
Course Duration: 60 min
The pathway to mitigation of a true “can’t intubate, can’t oxygenate” situation is very direct—a cricothyrotomy. Many paramedics will never perform this procedure in their career; are YOU ready? The low-frequency, high-risk nature of this procedure mandates absolute knowledge of the anterior neck anatomy, frequent practice, and procedural confidence. When cricothyrotomy fails, it is often the result of an inability to properly locate the anatomic structures of the larynx. This course explores the realities of cricothyrotomy in a unique manner, using high-resolution cadaveric images, the anterior neck will be procedurally dissected and critical anatomic structures will be identified. A step-by-step approach—based on the latest evidence and best practices—will be followed to maximize your success in performing this time-sensitive, final option procedure.
Course Type: Full-length Course
Course Duration: 60 min
In the pre-hospital setting, providers need all tools at their disposal to ensure patient care. One of these tools that can be of great benefit is a mechanical ventilator. We will review the benefits of a mechanical ventilator versus manual resuscitative devices, how to choose the right machine for your department, and how to prevent lung injury, morbidity, and mortality typically caused by bag valve mask ventilation.
Course Type: Full-length Course
Course Duration: 60 min
Airway management and ventilation are some of the most important yet challenging situations faced by EMS. What is the best way to ventilate? What are the advantages of manual and mechanical ventilation? Dr. Gräsner works as an emergency physician for Medical Mass Casualty Incidents in different EMS and the helicopter emergency medical service in Germany. In this course, Dr. Gräsner will discuss how a patient can benefit from mechanical ventilation and talk about different ways to monitor an airway.
Course Type: Full-length Course
Course Duration: 60 min
This course will discuss considerations for utilizing non-invasive ventilation such as CPAP, BiPAP, and nasal capnography in the pre-hospital environment.
Course Type: Full-length Course
Course Duration: 60 min
Supraglottic airways have evolved beyond the combitube with more and more devices available in the field today. They can be very powerful tools in the management of airways both in the field and the hospital in well trained hands. With so many available devices it can be a task for an agency to decide which device to use. This course will explore the role that supraglottic airways play in prehospital airway management as well as discuss the commonalities between devices as well as the differences. Tips and tricks for better supraglottic airway management will be discussed.
Course Type: Full-length Course
Course Duration: 60 min
There are “difficult airways” and there are seemingly “impossible airways.” This case-based class will use vivid examples (trauma, angioedema, etc.) of seemingly impossible airways and discuss strategies to overcome the profound challenges these situations pose to the prehospital provider.
Course Type: Full-length Course
Course Duration: 60 min
