A common aphorism in the medical community comes from Dr. Theodore Woodward who said in the 1940s, “When you hear hoofbeats behind you, think of horses, not zebras.” It’s a way of reminding medical practitioners that the most common explanation is usually correct. In other words, Occam’s Razor is usually correct. But what happens when […]
Extreme weather once again plays an important factor in this month’s case where our team comes upon a car accident victim who has a litany of injuries that make care extremely challenging, even in optimal conditions. Featuring a pilot for the first time ever in AMPED history, we hear from our clinicians about how to […]
A critically ill Influenza A patient, fully intubated and struggling to breathe, requires emergency transport for possible ECMO. Even under ideal conditions, a case like this demands intensive care and presents significant challenges. But when extreme weather disrupts key equipment, the situation becomes even more complex. In this episode, discover how our team navigated these […]
A car accident on the highway sees the vehicle rollover nine times and ejects our patient out of the vehicle with a multitude of life threatening injuries. Our team refers to our patient as the sickest trauma patient any of them had ever seen. The outlook is very bleak, but our team perseveres and gives […]
A motorcycle accident leaves our patient with a litany of serious injuries and severe bleeding, yet he remains alert and talking to the team… but that’s not the only one he talks to. Our patient puts his life in the hands of a higher power and our Air Methods crew as they work to address […]
Our team is dispatched to a scene expecting to assist a pregnant woman in footling breech labor—but when they arrive, the baby has already been delivered and is receiving Basic Life Support (BLS). She’s in critical condition, and the team must act fast. How do they pivot in this high-stakes moment? What life-saving steps do […]
When two flight teams are dispatched to a scene, the first to arrive typically takes the sickest patient—but what happens when conditions on the ground shift that plan? How do teams seamlessly tag in and out to ensure the best care? In this episode of the AMPED Podcast, we break down a high-speed highway collision […]
A pinkie promise is one you can’t break—and for our patient in this month’s episode, it was a lifeline. Stricken with a life-threatening COVID infection, he vowed to his wife that he would pull through. And he did—but not without countless obstacles along the way. Our team fought not only his severe COVID case but […]
The holidays are a season of hope, a time to believe in the extraordinary. Remember the classic holiday film Miracle on 34th Street? Just when faith seems lost, a series of unexpected events brings about the impossible. This week on the Air Methods Prehospital Education Podcast, we share a real-life story that captures that same […]
A gruesome head-on motorcycle accident causes this month’s patient a litany of injuries. He has bilateral femur fractures, a large open wound on his abdomen and much more… and he’s awake the whole time. He is cognizant, lucid, and chatting with our team through the entire ordeal. Is he experiencing neurogenic shock? And if he […]
A seemingly simple heart attack gives our team pause because the patient presents a litany of conflicting symptoms. Should our team send him to have a stent put in right away – as is standard procedure – or do they wait to address the other symptoms and risk muscle damage? What would you do if […]
A motorcycle accident victim faces dire circumstances and our team has to execute a new procedure that is rarely done in the field and has a high degree of risk if not done correctly. They are one of the only teams in the region equipped to even do such a procedure, and our team is […]