South Bend Medical Foundation’s Post

Pls watch this video and ask your national legislators to take action on this lifesaving matter.

“Where you live should not determine if you live after an injury.” Last night, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt featured a special investigation that shined a bright light on the lifesaving benefits of pre-hospital blood transfusion. The facts are clear: the faster a patient receives necessary care, the more likely they are to survive. One study found up to 5% increased odds of mortality for every minute of delay in access to blood. That’s why pre-hospital blood transfusion programs have been endorsed by a variety of national trauma and first responder organizations, including the American College of Surgeons, American College of Emergency Physicians, International Association of EMS Chiefs (IAEMSC), and National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP). Expanding access to pre-hospital blood transfusions will save lives. Yet, significant barriers stand in the way, including inadequate Medicare payments for blood used by Emergency Medical Services providers and inconsistent care due to differing state-based scope of practice requirements. But Congress can do something about it. Ask your members of Congress to make long-term reforms that would allow more patients to receive life-saving blood products before reaching a hospital: https://bit.ly/42XT2PZ #NationalTraumaAwarenessMonth

Time is of the essence when it comes to blood transfusions following traumatic injuries.⏱ One study found up to five percent increased odds of mortality for every minute of delay in access to blood!😲  However, without sufficient reimbursement for the cost of having blood available for patients that need it, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) cannot provide life-saving transfusions.  MKBC urges members of Congress to introduce legislation to establish a demonstration program through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to examine pre-hospital blood transfusion. For more information and to write to your member of Congress, please visit https://lnkd.in/eccp7bb7.

World Sepsis Day( WSD) World Sepsis Day is held annually on 13 September and is an initiative of the Global Sepsis Alliance. In 2023, the CEC is promoting the revision of the four-sepsis pathways (adult, paediatric, maternal, and neonatal) to support recognition and management of sepsis in NSW healthcare facilities. The purpose of the sepsis pathways revision is to: Respond to clinician survey feedback Align with international evidence-based sepsis guidelines Incorporate expert advice from multidisciplinary working groups. The revised pathways will be released in early-2024.

Rapid Response and Rapid Response Teams (RRT) are designed to identify patients at high risk of decompensation and rally resources towards their aid. Coincidentally, in many instances by the time a rapid is called, the patient has already decompensated, and it is essentially a call for aid before matters worsen. The acuity varies among these patients; sometimes it may just be an abnormally low blood glucose and others, a patient maxed on high flow nasal cannula who is struggling to breathe. In the latter situation, arterial blood gasses are often drawn, but are they necessary? My highly opinionated take on the matter is that they are absolutely NOT. My approach to a Rapid Response has always been to enter the room, quickly get a first impression and ask myself the following 2 questions: 1.       Do I need to bring this patient to the unit? 2.       Do I have time to get them there or must I act now? An ABG is 100% unnecessary for me to answer any of the above two questions, and if anything, detracts and distracts from time that could be spent intervening on the patient. As far as recognizing a critically ill patient who needs to be moved, many of these scenarios are strikingly clear. Ex: Patient who is flushed, tachypneic with signs of fatigue and an SpO2 in the 80’s must clearly be moved and in many cases the only question to ask is do we intubate here or can we get the patient to the unit and maybe try BiPAP or just intubate there. The ABG will not add any more insight. Another scenario is the unresponsive/comatose patient. an ABG may be done to evaluate for CO2 narcosis. But regardless, the workflow is the same. You will look for hypoglycemia, you will give naloxone/flumazenil and you will rule out a stroke. Depending on the work of breathing they may be placed on BiPAP or intubated. Ultimately, if the patient remains unresponsive, they will be watched in an ICU and likely intubated for airway protection. With metabolic acidosis, a tachypneic patient with a low CO2 on their morning labs is likely trying to compensate and has a low pH.   An ABG is a decision-making tool, that should only be used when there is time and decision making is unclear. follow me Leonard Otieno, RN for more insights

Rapid Response and Rapid Response Teams (RRT) are designed to identify patients at high risk of decompensation and rally resources towards their aid. Coincidentally, in many instances by the time a rapid is called, the patient has already decompensated, and it is essentially a call for aid before matters worsen. The acuity varies among these patients; sometimes it may just be an abnormally low blood glucose and others, a patient maxed on high flow nasal cannula who is struggling to breathe. In the latter situation, arterial blood gasses are often drawn, but are they necessary? My highly opinionated take on the matter is that they are absolutely NOT. My approach to a Rapid Response has always been to enter the room, quickly get a first impression and ask myself the following 2 questions: 1.       Do I need to bring this patient to the unit? 2.       Do I have time to get them there or must I act now? An ABG is 100% unnecessary for me to answer any of the above two questions, and if anything, detracts and distracts from time that could be spent intervening on the patient. As far as recognizing a critically ill patient who needs to be moved, many of these scenarios are strikingly clear. Ex: Patient who is flushed, tachypneic with signs of fatigue and an SpO2 in the 80’s must clearly be moved and in many cases the only question to ask is do we intubate here or can we get the patient to the unit and maybe try BiPAP or just intubate there. The ABG will not add any more insight. Another scenario is the unresponsive/comatose patient. an ABG may be done to evaluate for CO2 narcosis. But regardless, the workflow is the same. You will look for hypoglycemia, you will give naloxone/flumazenil and you will rule out a stroke. Depending on the work of breathing they may be placed on BiPAP or intubated. Ultimately, if the patient remains unresponsive, they will be watched in an ICU and likely intubated for airway protection. With metabolic acidosis, a tachypneic patient with a low CO2 on their morning labs is likely trying to compensate and has a low pH.   An ABG is a decision-making tool, that should only be used when there is time and decision making is unclear. follow me Leonard Otieno, RN for more insights

What types of scenarios can the Vanguard simulation lab replicate? The lab is designed to resemble a typical northern Manitoba nursing station, where Vanguard’s medical team routinely work to stabilize patients in preparation air ambulance services, air transport and patient transfer to hospital. On any given flight, medical emergencies can occur suddenly, and our team is highly trained to perform critical patient care at any time. Whether in the lab, on the ground or in the air, Hal can be programmed to prepare Vanguard’s medical crews for a wide variety of common and unusual distress situations including: • Acute Anterolateral Myocardial Infarction • Supraventricular Tachycardia • Sepsis • Atrial Fibrillation • COPD Exacerbation • Diabetic Ketoacidosis • Opioid Overdose • Pulmonary Embolism; and many more. Head to our website for more answers to FAQ's on our simulation lab! https://lnkd.in/etQbvPXe #Manitoba #Medevac #KingAir #Medic #Paramedical #AirAmbulance #AboveAndBeyondForMB