GM911

lets go rangers!!! G = Graves M = Messier 9 = Graves' number 11 = Messier's number

im not sure about the firehouse, but if its an ems agency as well: 2 stair chairs + 2 long board splints = 21st century jousting!!!

als, those are some very valid arguments.... When I vollie in NY, ALS is called for everything, and we have to call ahead to cancel if deemed necessary. You are right to say ALS would be there with all altered mental status pts, so emt-b glucose readings would be, as you said, good to know but not necessary. That said, I agree to disagree with the statement that all NYS BLS agencies should not use glucometers. This is especially the case where ALS is not automatically dispatched on every call. Just relating personal experience here, but as an EMT at a college in Washington DC, there are just too many intoxicated pts to send ALS on every call. There have been numerous occasions (not hords, but more than a few) where those patients were found to be hypoglycemic. I have to stress the fact that they are not necessarily diabetics having a hypoglycemic episode; rather these patients vomited so much that their blood sugar level dropped to hypoglycemic numbers.

Re-reading my post, i guess it is kinda all over the place lol. (plus not too sure how to use the quotes box so i'll try my best here.) als wrote: The real problem is...how many will use this to replace confidence and knowledge to treat something they should already know has to be treated? As a DC EMT, we take glucose readings on all altered mental status pts. I think that it is a very valuable tool that can change the entire way a patient is treated. The example that comes to mind is if somebody is acting belligerently drunk on a friday night, it might not occur to the responder that he's hypoglycemic, so a glucose reading is absolutely needed on him. Confidence and knowledge had nothing to do with it - you can't tell someone is hypoglycemic simply by looking at him, a definitive blood sugar number is needed. The next thing I was saying was with regards to the quote, "Problem is out of the hundreds of thousands of EMTs how many have the knowledge/experience/confidence to properly and efficiently utilize this...well i think thats something that remains to be seen." That comment just makes it seem like the majority of EMTs are incompetent and will mess up the simple task of using a glucometer. To me at least, it just seems like its the medic vs emt battle again, that emts are unable to handle the responsibility of using the glucometer. Now I'm not trying to start any fights or nothing here, I'm just saying that's what I understood your comment to mean.

Down in DC we do glucose sticks all the time (as BLS)... especially good for the drunks who have been vomiting for the past hour with altered mental status. I will completely disregard the above comment about how many thousands of incompetant emts there are out there, just for sake of argument. and about the readings, if it is below 80 and the pt is semiconscious (unable to take oral glucose), then call als. as for hyperglycemia, its really not that big a deal, and nothing als can do except keep a watchful eye on the pt. as for the the pulse ox and electronic bp issue, remember rule number 1 (besides scene safety and all that bs ) TREAT THE PATIENT, NOT THE MACHINE!!!

Just want to see what you all think of this. Though media often misconstrues the truth, the recordings seem to back the story... http://video.aol.com/video/news-woman-dies...nd-help/2008892

correct me if i'm wrong, i thought sound shore hospital in new rochelle was level 2 as well. either way, hope everything goes well with this one!!

We've all been taught how to take pressure measurements in arms and legs, but I have never taken both on the same patient, and sitting at my desk right now, am too lazy to find someone to practice on. My question: should the pressures be the same in both the arms and the legs? I have heard of ankle BPs being extremely close to brachial measurements, and I have also heard that the thigh BP should be higher than the arm. Does anyone know if these findings are correct?? Thanks