EMS Protocol of the Week - Altered Mental Status (Adult and Pediatric)

Another protocol to have been affected by 2022 reformatting, the prehospital approach to AMS primarily addresses hypoglycemia at this point. Naloxone dosing, which was previously found under this protocol, is now under the Overdose protocol reviewed earlier in the year.

EMS must obviously be mindful of other etiologies of AMS (toxicologic, traumatic, behavioral, etc.) and manage appropriately, both in terms of patient care and overall scene safety. For patients with a change in mental status due to hypoglycemia, this protocol goes over a number of considerations for oral and parenteral management based on level of training and patient condition, all of which are worth reviewing.

Replete the sugar, is what it comes down to. Once again – short…and sweet? On a roll, here.

www.nycremsco.org and the protocol binder for more.

Dave

EMS Protocol of the Week - Bone and Joint Injuries (Adult and Pediatric)

A lot of the meat behind the protocol for bone and joint injuries was previously due to it being where to find the options for prehospital analgesia. Now that we have a dedicated pain management protocol, it’s since been thinned out a bit, but it’s still worth a skim for a review of assessment and stabilization of broken bones, as well as instructions for how to reduce a dislocated patella (if approved by OLMC – make sure they’re describing a patellar dislocation and not a knee dislocation!).

Have fun out there! www.nycremsco.org or the protocol binder for anything else you may…knee-d. Bye!

Dave

EMS Protocol of the Week - Avulsed Tooth (Adult and Pediatric)

While EMS aren’t reimplanting extremities (yet), they ARE able to reimplant avulsed teeth! This week’s protocol goes over indications and contraindications, as well as how to best replace a tooth in a socket as a temporizing measure. Pay particular attention to the Key Points section, which also gives a refresher on appropriate storage media if implantation is impossible. 

Another short one this week, but nevertheless something to…chew on?

www.nycremsco.org or the protocol binder or honestly your cousin’s old book of puns for probably a lot of the same content.

Dave