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This Week in EMS: A Recap for Oct. 28 - Nov. 3, 2006
News to know this week:
The CDC is reconsidering its guidance on respiratory protection for healthcare workers in the event of a flu pandemic. The agency currently recommends using surgical masks, but may soon recommend using N95 filtering face-piece respirators.
The discussion reflects concern that a new strain of influenza could involve airborne transmission. Researchers say there is some evidence that even seasonal influenza may involve airborne spread.
In seeking protection from the flu, healthcare workers should be aware that surgical masks do not provide respiratory protection -- they are only used to protect against droplets, splashes or sprays. Read the full article on EMSResponder.com:
CDC Reconsiders Respiratory Guidance
This week's top rescue story was that of two separate paramedics who found themselves in the right place at the right time. They had just begun running the Marine Corps Marathon in D.C. on Sunday when another runner went into cardiac arrest. The medics were able to provide immediate care, and one even had a CPR mask with her, especially important because the victim's mouth was bloody from his fall to the ground.
Prince George's County, Maryland firefighter /paramedic Jaime Joroff was running in her turnout gear to raise money for charity, and had kept the CPR mask in her pocket "just in case."
In another stroke of luck for the victim, the medics were soon joined by a third runner -- the director of cardiac surgery at George Washington University Hospital.
The group did CPR until an ambulance arrived, and the man was then rushed to G. W. University Hospital where he was treated for a narrowed artery.
In addition to the full article, a video interview of the victim and all three rescuers has been added to EMSResponder.com, courtesy of WUSA9.com. Visit these at:
Medics in Marathon Save Cardiac Arrest Victim
Other top news this week involved updates to ongoing controversies over poor patient care incidents.
One was the case in Washington D.C. where responders have been accused of gross negligence in their response to the fatal beating of journalist David E. Rosenbaum last January. It has just been revealed that some evidence in the case was not turned over until July - a month after the investigation was completed. The evidence -- two staff reports detailing the response - apparently languished on a desk due to a staff member's absence and other distractions.
The mistake is another hit for the department which has already received much attention this year over this incident as well as other issues of EMS oversight, funding and training. To read more visit:
Bungled D.C. Response Evidence Mislaid
In the second case, a dispute continues over a Florida medic who has been fired and reinstated, in a battle between the city and federal arbiters.
The city of Clearwater fired Trevor Murray and fellow paramedic Mike Jones in May 2005 for ignoring a 911 call from a frequent caller who often falsely claimed rape. Murray and Jones have admitted it was a mistake not to answer the call, but insist that they should not have been fired.
Although two arbiters agreed, the city's legal staff thinks the arbiter in Murray's case may have overstepped his bounds. The city had not decided whether to continue to fight the Jones case.
Although it's hard to see two paramedics' careers ruined over a single mistake, the city's fight is understandable. Medics everywhere experience repeat callers, but responding anyway and giving the patient the benefit of the doubt is paramount to the profession. Should responders who take this decision into their own hands be given a second chance? If you would like to discuss it, visit the forums on EMSResponder.com. To read more about this case visit:
Dispute Continues Over Fired/Reinstated Florida Medic
News You Can Use:
This news is for those interested in further education in emergency medicine, trauma care, disaster preparedness, child injury prevention and public health.
A new emergency medicine program has been approved at the University of Oklahoma. The $3 million program will provide residency training programs for emergency room doctors and establish the Institute for Disaster and Emergency Medicine. For more information read the full article:
Emergency Medicine Program Approved at University of Oklahoma
Other popular news this week:
