When our crew is dispatched to an extremely rural location, they find a patient who has fallen from an A-frame ladder and been impaled in the chest by a large piece of rebar. With impalements, any movement or removal of the object can create serious complications, so the team must carefully transport him to a setting where removal and treatment can occur safely. Listen in as our crew coordinates with first responders, prepares their equipment, and communicates precisely to ensure the best outcome. In this unusual case, the patient is both very unlucky and extraordinarily lucky. We’re joined by Jennifer A. Beckett NREMT-P AAS, Cole Diercks BSN, RN, CFRN, and Steven Johnson NREMT-P.
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AMPED is available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more. To listen to the episode or catch up on past discussions, visit https://ampedpodcast.libsyn.com/air-methods-prehospital-education-podcast-ep-61-mise-en-place-staging-the-chaos. To join the conversation, use the hashtag #AMPEDpod on social media.
Our crew was dispatched to a high-energy rollover MVC with a patient ejection, a situation that typically demands aggressive trauma protocols. But what happens when the patient is equipped with a HeartMate II, a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) that pumps blood for failing hearts? The irony is that this extremely sophisticated medical device, which keeps the patient alive, also prevents our team from gathering traditional vital signs like a palpable pulse or standard blood pressure measurements. How does the team manage a trauma resuscitation when the patient’s circulation is continuous flow rather than a heartbeat? The answer lies in going back to the basics of trauma care. We’re joined by Chelsea Putman, FP-C, and Robert Steele, RN.
AMPED is available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more. To listen to the episode or catch up on past discussions, visit https://ampedpodcast.libsyn.com/air-methods-prehospital-education-podcast-ep-60-no-pulse-no-problem. To join the conversation, use the hashtag #AMPEDpod on social media.
On this show we have espoused the general guiding principal of “when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.” Sometimes the hoofbeats actually are those of zebras. But what if sometimes there not even zebras, they’re unicorns? On this episode of AMPED, our patient has been bitten by a Jameson’s Mamba, one of the deadliest snakes in the world. Thankfully, he is an expert herpetologist who is able to talk our team through the steps needed to save his life. But what our team learns is that sometimes that which seems extremely rare results in care that isn’t rare at all. We’re joined by Samuel Hall, MD, Jim Harrison (patient), Kristen Harrison, Courtney Martin NREMT-P, Sarah Crabtree RN, and Kristen Wiley
AMPED is available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more. To listen to the episode or catch up on past discussions, visit https://ampedpodcast.libsyn.com/air-methods-prehospital-education-podcast-ep-59-scales-of-uncertainty. To join the conversation, use the hashtag #AMPEDpod on social media.
A brutal incident where a woman is hit by a truck leaves her with a multitude of injuries, most notably both of her legs bent into a position best described as “frog legs.” She’s in good spirits and her vitals are stable, but her legs bent at that angle mean she cannot fit into the air medical team’s helicopter. How does the team get her legs back into place without causing further trauma or risking her stable vitals? Complicating factors include extremely uneven ground in a cow pasture and a very high risk of infection, as the team and patient are surrounded by cow patties. There is no training for this exact scenario, so how does the air medical crew adapt and apply the training they have to this unique situation? This episode of AMPED digs in as we’re joined by Aaron Botzow, NRP, FP-C, Drew Gill, BSN, RN, CEN, and Michael Eastman DO.
AMPED is available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more. To listen to the episode or catch up on past discussions, visit https://ampedpodcast.libsyn.com/air-methods-prehospital-education-podcast-ep-58-the-muck-and-the-mechanism. To join the conversation, use the hashtag #AMPEDpod on social media.
In an incredible twist of irony, this month’s case focuses on our flight crew loading into their helicopter to be dispatched to… a patient who has fallen out of a helicopter. From a height of approximately 40 feet and at a speed of 30 knots, our patient has an abundance of injuries, which requires our team to remember their axiom: “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.” This episode also introduces an important question: How do we intervene in different kinds of shock? Our patient had three different kinds: Hemorrhagic, neurogenic, and obstructive shock. Listen in as our guest, along with our panel, deconstructs one of the rarest cases in AMPED history. We’re joined by Matthew Habbe NREMT-P.
AMPED is available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more. To listen to the episode or catch up on past discussions, visit https://ampedpodcast.libsyn.com/air-methods-prehospital-education-podcast-ep-57-the-gravity-of-the-fall. To join the conversation, use the hashtag #AMPEDpod on social media.
Last week, we announced the launch of our Air Methods Prehospital Education (“AMPED”) podcast, which is designed for prehospital and in-hospital care providers and sheds light on the unique and challenging clinical scenarios faced by our emergency medical crews.
“Medicine is an ongoing educational and evolutionary process,” said Joe Hill, RN, clinical director for Air Methods and co-creator of AMPED. “AMPED serves as a first-of-its-kind platform in which air medical and in-hospital clinicians can share their stories from the frontlines and learn from each other’s unique experiences in providing lifesaving care.”
Air Methods’ crews encounter extraordinary obstacles on a daily basis that require significant expertise and the ability to handle highly stressful situations. They often serve as the lifeline for patients in rural areas without access to critical or emergent care. By providing a lens into the air medical profession, AMPED aims to foster greater understanding and respect among healthcare providers of all specialties.
The podcast is hosted by Joe Hill; Hawnwan “Phil” Moy, MD, Medical Director for Arch, Air Methods Illinois and Missouri; and John Wilmas, MD, Medical Director for Arch, Air Methods Illinois and Missouri. Collectively, the three hosts bring decades of experience in emergency medical services and an array of diverse perspectives to the table.
In the first episode, the hosts interview a flight nurse about a case in which a patient was catapulted from a motorcycle at 105 mph and needed emergency transport. The nurse recounts the unique details of the case and his medical decision-making process to ensure this patient received the highest quality care while in transport to the hospital.
AMPED is available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more. To listen to the podcast and to see available streaming options, visit airmethods.com/newsroom/. The second episode is slated for release in March 2021. To join the conversation, use the hashtag #AMPEDpod on social media.