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Unfortunately, antidysrhythmic medications have significant pro-arrhythmic effects, so "calming" the heart is probably not the best analogy. However, if you are well versed in their mechanisms of action, I would not make a big deal of it. However, some people take these sayings literally. A real common one around here is that "lidocaine numbs the heart." Unfortunately, I feel this shows a fundamental lack of knowledge regarding the mechanism of action of these medications when we distill things down to catch all statements. The evidence is rather telling in that I gather both agents are equally ineffective at having a functional member of society walk out of the hospital. Therefore, it's a crap shoot IMHO. My bias being that I really do not focus on medications that much in an arrest unless there are clear indications such as a drug overdose or electrolyte imbalance that would potentially benefit from certain treatment modalities. Anecdotally, my experiences with both agents are equivalent. Take care, chbare.

Alright lets try this again. Maybe I came off as a whiny little kid but that was not my intention whatsoever.here is some more info about me so you guys know a little bit more about my situation. I live in San Diego(north county).my grandfather is a retired ff/p of 28 years.I plan on attending a four university and hopefully med school while serving as an emt to hopefully become some sort of physician.now I don't want you to think this is just a temp. gig for me. I intend on being an emt-b/p for at least 8 years +. Now I know your thinking,why am I not rynning to my grandfather for all of this info? That is because we don't have a close relationship at all and when I do talk to him about tgis line of work he wants to candycoat it and tell me how glorious this career is ( I think this is due to him thinking I'm naive because of my age

I got the feeling that he was asking more about training together, helping one hand understand more fully what the other hand is doing, rather than dispute resolution. And I think that it's an awesome idea. So much of the bullshit that goes on between medics (Paramedics) and nurses is caused by misunderstandings. I've met a ton of medics that truly believe that they are smarter than any nurse could possibly be, and a ton of nurses that were shocked to discover that a medic can start an IV without permission. Continuity of care would be accomplished at a much higher level much more smoothly I believe if these myths were vanquished. But, to answer your question brother, other than a program at one service that allowed us to go and get tubes in the OR every quarter, the only representation between EMS and ER was secondary to conflicts and that was management alone. Though in the small town we had a great relationship with most of the hospital staff, whatever the level, but I still believe something formal would have been very beneficial. Dwayne

Woah, back the horse. I am an ER RN as well as certified EMT-I. I am more meaning on the aspect that this other nurse I work with didn't know what EMS staff could do in the field, as in lack of knowledge of the scope of practice and procedures available etc. I am not saying the RN makes the decisions about paramedic skills etc, far from it. I am asking is there an RN at your local hospitals that acts like an EMS liason or support person between RN's and EMT's? Like if an RN pisses you off, do you have a nurse there that you can talk to about it or find passages to rectify situations, or an RN that is involved with your service also that educates staff back at the ER about new equipment or procedures in the field to ensure continium of care is processed etc. Remember I am in New Zealand, we generally have a good rapport between EMS and Emergency Nursing here, but just curious if there is anything like I have asked in any of your hospitals. And I personally think its good for ER RN's to know what Paramedics/EMT's here can do and what sort of skills are in the tool box. It is not a pissing post for anyone, merely a support network for each other and also a chance for each speciality to see into the world of each other. Scotty

You really want a Nurse to decide what you can and can not do ? Your State EMS Office and Medical Director should clearly define what you can and can not do, it is not the job of any ER or ER Nurse to be knowlegable about your scope of practice. Are you a practicing EMT ?