sportygirl

I just finished EMT school and I am exited/nervous/scared about going into the filed. I fill like I don't know every thing that I should. And I want to know so much more about certain things like the cardiac problems and raspatory problems. My book covered it but I want a better under standing of things like what is the difference between right and left side heart failure? I want to know some more about the heart and some other problems. Can certain heart problems cause other problems? If so what and would it be in the lungs? What kind of lung problems would it cause? Would that be things like copd and what else?

I know probly as a newbee this probley sounds like a stupid questions. But someone once told me the only stupid question is the one not asked so I am asking.

For me it is almost any time I get food I you know get in my hand and get the first bite and I get a call almost never fells.

ptemt wrote

The sodium/potassium pump fails leading to potassium moving out of the cell and sodium moving in. Excess sodium in the cell leads to cellular swelling and lysing of the cell. Potassium moving out leads to hyperkalemia and cardiac dysrhythmias.

What is hyperkalemia? What kind of dysrhythmias? I have heard of things like SVA, and stuff like PVC do you mean things like that?

I was reading up to refresh my self on cardiac problems and my book said failure to get blood throughout the body or to provide nutrients and remove wastes can cause serious conditions and even death.

What kind of conditions? It's not COPD is it? I don't think it is CHF. I am I missing something?

I have finals in three weeks! Help!!! I know some what to study but would love any help that I can get. Form asking me simple questions so I can answer them, to scenarios or anything that any one can come up with?

Please keep it at an EMT-B leval and Thank You!

Vent Wrote:

ASK QUESTIONS OF THOSE WHO MAY KNOW the answers when they are within reach! Use the licensed professionals as resources.

Ok so now some questions? What is some of the terms that you have been using? But the one things that I can't figuer out is how bagging once every 5 seconds= 12 Resps per min, and if you bag once every 7-8 seconds it is faster but if I do the math and bag once every 7 seconds it is like 8 breaths a minute? That is where I am confused because the RT said that pt need 14 breaths a min so how many times is it?

Vent Wrote:

Don't stop learning. You have just been introduced to one tiny snowflake in the blizzard world of medicine.

Ok you told me of the storm and how to get ready for it. And I am waiting for the first snowflake.

VentMedic wrote:

Many, many factors go into Critical Care medicine. One statement can not sum it up for any specific rule for any one patient.

So what you are saying is that every pt is different? So it can make a big difference on how to treat the pt and what rules to flow. Right? So would something like COPD, CHF or something make a difference?

This information is very helpful to me because two weeks a go we had our respiratory lecture.

Thanks very much!

DwayneEMTB wrote:

I’m guessing that you meant that you were told you were bagging too fast? That is the more common problem.

[align=left:4aad19ff47] I think I was bagging to slow because the RT said the pt need to be breathing 14 times a minute.[/align:4aad19ff47]

DwayneEMTB wrote:

With BVM you’ll try for a rate of one ventilation every 4-6 seconds. Once an advanced airway is placed that will drop to about once every 7-8 seconds. Can you break this problem down and tell me why that is? What are the possible differences between using just mask, and using the tube?

[align=left:4aad19ff47] Ok here is what I think with out an advanced airway the pt may not get all the air that they need. Because maybe the airway is not open all the way or not all of it is going into the lungs.With an advanced airway you want to vent once every 7-8 seconds because it is like breathing normally. Because the tube goes directly from the mouth to the lungs. [/align:4aad19ff47]

The patient was put on the vent just before I started at 1800 and it was not a vent that we could take into the x-ray room so I was bagging the patient well the Respiratory Therapist went up to the ICU to set up the vent. I am not sure if it will make it different the patient was getting a CT done. I am an EMT student and don't know if there are different rites or not. The respiratory therapist was not very nice to me or the other two students I was told by one of the nurs that she does not like students.

Are things like age and wight going to make it different or not.

VentMedic said

What type of V/Q mismatching did the patient have? What dose this mean?

Also, what was the pt's level of PEEP? What is a PEEP?

There were some other things that were said and I don't know what the mean like ETT, NIV, dx, ABG, RR, VT, THAM

I ask questions at work all the time I ask any and all of the EMT-B's and EMT-P's. I am a Vehicle Service Technician the person who stocks ambulance.

On my clinical rotation got to bag a patient on the way to x-ray but the respiratory therapist said that I was bagging to slow and that I should bag once every 6 to 8 seconds. And that the patient was on a vent where the patient needs only about ten breaths per minute.

I learned in CPR that you bag a patient once every 4 to 6 seconds if they have an advanced air way. And when I asked another student that goes to another school he was taught 6 to 8 seconds. But if you do the math if you bag once every 5 seconds it is about 12 times a minute, if you go faster the patient will not get enough air! Less than 4 seconds and then that is to fast.

I was bagging the patient once every 5 seconds that means she was getting 12 breaths a minute. I learned that you count one one-thounds to keep the breathing rate the same well bagging.

Was I right or wrong? What is right? Do I do what I was taught? Dose being on a vent make a difference or not?

Thanks for all the advice it is very helpful and I haven't learned this in class yet.

No ther was no discharge and we did not take a look and pt said that it flt like it did with her son how is 4 and she had UTI last week

On my ride-out we got a call for a 24 year old femal with LLQ and LLR pain and it turned out that she was 16 weeks pregnent and this was her 7th pregnancy 2live births, 2 abortions, and 2 misscarriges she decribed the pain as contractions she said that last week her doctor said she was high risk.

I am an EMT student and we have not gone over childbirth/pregnancy yet and had no idea what to ask? Dose my assessment change? What qustions should be asked? Will it make vitle signs different?

Can any tell me what some of these terms or medications are or where I can get information on them? Agonist, Antagonism, Cumulative effect, Idiosyncrasy, Pharmacokinetics, ASA

I am an EMT student and went on my first ride out and at the end I was told that I need to work no my patient assessment how can I do that? I know to ask SAMPLE and OPQRST but I just get nervous and either don't do it or everything is out of order. Also should I ask questions and what questions? Is it normal to be nervous? What can I do to relax during the call?

I am in EMT school right now and would love to get all the info that I can.

I am new to this site and I am not sure how to use it.