In this episode we discuss whether the concept of having a "max dose" of your pressor has any evidence or physiological backing. Joining me in this discussion are Dan Rauh, Shane O'Donnell, and Shad Ruby.   ..read more

How do you talk to a patient experiencing suicidal ideation? What if you're the one having these thoughts? We're interviewing James Boomhower from Stay Fit 4 Duty in this episode. We discuss suicidal ideation, therapeutic communication, and verbal de-escalation ..read more

Chris Carlstrom is a flight nurse at Life Link III and also works part-time at a ketamine infusion clinic.  We’ve had some interesting conversations on shift regarding his experiences with ketamine in the clinic versus emergency medicine and I finally was able to get one of these conversations recorded for the podcast. Enjoy Podcast 163 - What Can We Learn From A  Ketamine Infusion Clinic? w/ Chris Carlstrom ..read more

When I became a paramedic, being able to provide pain management was one of the "new interventions" that I looked forward to most. As an EMT, I remember countless times I was without ALS resources and had to watch a patient suffering in pain until we got to the hospital. Trying to obtain any history or perform an assessment on someone writhing in pain can be nearly impossible. As a BLS provider, I would attempt non-pharmacological ways to relieve pain, such as ice packs, warm packs, elevating extremities, and sometimes simply trying to distract them with conversation. While these methods shou ..read more

Taking on pharmacology in EMT school is a big hurdle. We wanted to write something that not only explained the basics of the medications but also helped bridge the gap between what EMTs are taught and what paramedics learn when they go back over these medications in paramedic pharmacology. Each chapter discusses how the medications work, why they're given for specific indications, and the logistics of medication administration! We've also included medication profiles, tips and tricks from experienced providers, and flashcards for each medication to help you hone your med knowledge base! In thi ..read more

I had the privilege to bring on two passionate fathers of children with Autism to help me better understand how to approach and communicate with a neuro-diverse child. This episode is chock-full of insight, tips, tricks, and logistics of approaching a child in the field with Autism. Josh Chan is a Life Link III flight paramedic/base lead and a Glenwood FD firefighter. Matthew Yelton is a flight paramedic/base lead for Mercy Flight Central and works as a fire captain at Constableville Ambulance Inc ..read more

EMS providers encounter various infectious diseases daily and need to know the routes of exposure, risks, and preventive measures to protect themselves and their families. In this episode, We talk with Dr. Hudson Garrett, an infectious disease expert with the medical college of Louisville University, to discuss the practical points of infectious disease for the everyday provider. Want CE for this episode? Sign up for FOAMfrat Studio and access 300+ hours of continuing education for EMS & Nursing.  www.foamfrat.com ..read more

In this episode, Dan Rauh & Mike Boone from Heavy Lies The Helmet join me to hash out our workflows and drugs of choice for four particular scenarios you may come across.   The combative head injury patient that needs to be intubated but has five firefighters holding them down and is actively trying to rip off his collar and IV.   The septic hypotensive patient is no longer protecting their airway but also needs resuscitation prior to induction.   The snoring head bleed with a BP of 220/140   The "almost dead, but needs a tube" population (induction med ..read more

Moments after the heart stops the entire circulatory system finally has a chance to bring venous and arterial pressures to equilibrium. Cardiac arrest resuscitation requires the provider to have a strong mental model of physiology and the logistics to carry out a series of interventions crucial to preserving life. This class will serve not as a routine basic life support model, but as a deeper understanding and framework to guide resuscitation during your next cardiac arrest ..read more

AI will be integrated into everything we do in medicine, perhaps sooner than we think. It will help keep our patients safe, our providers informed, and our communications connected, and change how we think about how we care for patients (if implemented correctly).  Systems like ChatGPT are only the beginning, and many companies are already working on or have already integrated with other healthcare specialties. We will see the same integration happen with EMS. While the response to this might be fear of losing our knowledge base, over-automating decision-making, cheating on tests and pape ..read more