celticcare

Yes timmy am referring to the four day training course. I don't think it's that hard to insert an LMA especially when the size and weight range is written on the package/device and in the essence of protecting the airway where sometimes they may be the only rescuer to arrive, I'd rather they put an LMA down and secured the airway to then deliver respirations with cpr than try and struggle with an opa and mask scenario. LMA is a basic airway skill in a lot of ways as it is at bls professional level (nurse and ambulance) here in nz and I have faith and confidence in the students Ability to utilise the skill effectively. Like you say though, err on the side of caution. But then having faith in your students abilities counts too, Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Combis and kings aren't utilised here. Have never used either Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

That only works If we were doing a remake of thriller my friend. In the mean time I'm making simulated wounds and bleeding appendages for training.

looks like something one would expect to find in a gay sex store catalog .Or maybe in the BSM section,

Also expected big brother dwayne to comment first on that similarity

During my post grad papers it was discussed and has been utilised by some staff I know for cardiac arrest management if running a solo code (unfortunately still single crewed vehicles here in some places) and will chat to med director see if it being recommended as standard practice.

Ok I'm on a posting roll today, amazing what a moment of free time will do.

I'm now becoming more involved in enhanced resus training and intermediate life support training program's. Have plenty of resusci Anne manikins but want to upgrade a couple to include ecg chest skin and bleeding wounds as well as defib ability. Now I don't have a spare 10 grand yet to buy a good simulator (working on it but kinda have to build a business case first) but has anyone used the upgrade kits where you can buy just a defib/ecg chest skin or bleeding arms/legs etc?

Or has anyone built anything themselves with an ecg simulator wired into the chest skin etc? Or cool tips for bleeding arms/body

Will happily post pics of progress on here if needed. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks all

Scotty

Hi all, hope all is well with you guys and gals and happy EMS week.

Was surfing the ol dubbayah dubbayah inter web and came across this....

The t ring for trauma of the fingers and potentially toes. This product is for sale on general first aid supplies websites. Has anyone seen or dealt with these? In the ER or Primary health option sure I could see these being used but in emergency prehospital environment. Just curious about the ideas with it. Their website is www.thetring.com I promise I am not sending on a wild goose chase

Happy posting

Scotty

Hi guys and happy new year to you all. Hope you are all well and sorry for lack of posting lately. Been a heck of a lot happening in the Scotty and family camp. Anyway, I purchased four cardioaid defibrillators and have had a hell of a time tracking down any manuals or other literature for them. They are ex Scottish ambulance service units. I'm looking for a user manual and a service manual. If anyone has anything or can help me with these devices I would be grateful beyond words.

I have uploaded a photo of the units into my gallery so people can see what I am talking about. Thanks in advance and hope someone can help.

Scotty

Hi guys and gals, belated happy new years, merry christmas and all that jazz. I apologise for the hiatus, there has been quite a bit happening in the celticcare household.

I haven't been on line for quite a few months, in September last year, after all the issues I have been having with my heart, I finally culminated into a STEMI. Primary cause was Viral myocarditis which had been getting worse over the course of the year and it decided to wear away my LAD and lead to an Anterior STEMI. Spent two weeks in the CCU as a patient, undergoing massive therapies and treatments and have been left with mild LVF and residual scar tissue encapsulating my heart, Prognosis is ok at this point but the doctors are keeping close stats on the heart as still having arrythmias and during my cardiac biopsy went into VT and lost pulse for a period of time. So have seen cardiac care from both sides of the spectrum.

During this time, my beloved was 3 months pregnant with our child, so happy pregnancy hormones to boot and her husband in hospital with the doctors concerned that if the damage wasn't brought under control, that I'd be going down the therapies to transplant path. Our daughter, not wanting to let dad be the only one getting attention, ended up admitted into HDU with cerebal odema secondary to erosephalis (I know I've spelt it wrong but Strep A got into her Psoarisis pores and inflamed around her brain. So a hubby in CCU and a child in HDU, life doesn't get any better than that.

Thankfully, we both were discharged and our daughter is doing well again and happily able to report, that after a horrific period where our marriage was stressed, we are still going through life as a strong family and in five weeks, Annabelle will come into the world as a healthy little bub. She is following her sister and dads footsetps though and giving my wife borderline pre-eclampsia symptoms so add that into boot lol. Never rains but pours with this family.

Just wanted to update you all, that I haven't been ignoring everyone, just putting my family and health first, I am working normal hours again as an Orthopedics nurse and after battles with the universities (after being excluded from further study due to unsatisfactory academic progress, never mind they knew about me being in hospital but thats another story) I am working on the stages of becoming a university lecturer teaching nursing and hopefully paramedicine.

The support from the ambulance services here in Auckland was amazing, I got so much love and care from the people I am blessed to say I have worked with and at times more than my old nursing collegues in the ER. EMS is an amazing family worldwide and Dwayne and Happiness were my rocks when I was in the lowest of lows and so physically unwell couldn't do much but kept me going with chat and texts. Thank you guys, this website brought us together and you helped bring me back to health and life and appreciate it whole heartedly *all myopathic cells included*.

There is alot of other details to the story, the experience of being put in resus for emergency transfer to PCI *which had clean arteries but still two angios in a year is an adventure*, being so weak and short of breath on every movement, the stress of family and work, but it all came right in the end.

Lets make 2013 a great new year and look forward to sharing it all with you.

Scotty

Sorry I just saw chicks, boobs and thought woooooo. *checks pulse*

Anyway, I agree Dwayne, there has been some history on this site of playing the weaker sex card and some of our new lady posters are posting as they should, as EMS professionals. Is wonderful to see, now if we can stop some fence pissing posts from guys, I think we may be onto a good equilibrium.

Now I am off to hooters

Scotty

It's been nearly a year, just amazes me at how fast the time has gone where our friend has passed on. Was thinking about him a couple of days ago, especially with our little dustdevil (already determined that is what our baby will be nicknamed) on the way and just about how far each of us have come in this last year and how even this time later, his influence still remains with us all.

Any thoughts to one of our founding fathers for a one year remembrance?

Scotty

Explains why the wife has looked unsatisfied for the last few weeks.

Ok guys and gals it is official......

CELTIC Jnr is on the way

My wife and I are pregnant with our second child. HOLY fifty shades of grey Batman

*Disclaimer warning and consumer warning*

Reading fifty shades of grey may cause tachycardia, breathlessness, uncontrollable rages and spontaneous pregnancy..... well at least a horizontal mambo which leads to pregnancy.

Here is the first USS of the baby, yes its a small blip, but its still something awesome

Scotty

Hi Andrew, just checking in to see how the project is coming along. Any further progress?

Sweet thanks snoop.

Text him. I will wait and see. Maybe too many valiums strung out to the end. He was on my skype yesterday so see what happens.

My paramedic program took you up to the theory and application of ALS. However it was a three year degree and you got a hell of a lot of practical in it and you come out practicing as an EMT b and then after a period of time you challenge for ILS and then after a period of time and acquiring a post graduate qualification, you may challenge for ALS. So in the world of EMS training it isn't always necessary to gain experience of working as an EMT whilst training at ILS or ALS level. Work hard and achieve the skills and knowledge

Ahhhhh starving student, I remember those days, I lost most of my weight in Paramedic School (12 kilos in four weeks eeeek*

Enjoy the site, talk to as many as you can, gain a wider diversity of knowledge and learn from all you can. Take care and look forward to your input

Scotty

No I have to disagree there Ben, an average EMT-B in the states receives more training than a PTS officer or a first responder here. Even if it is the "cookbook" course that you call it, how can you say a four day course here is more training than the EMT-B course in the USA.

Yes accountability comes reward, I get paid very well as an RN, but then I also get penal allowances and that makes my pay all the better. EMS here in NZ is now standard for three year degree in Health Sciences majoring in Paramedicine to get into the field. The in house training system is now coming up to that standard, has it taken 40 years, NO it has not been an easy process, but now its coming along at a national standard of skills and scopes of practice.

EMS will only get respect, when we as an industry actually push for it. Let the communities see how much up shit creek they would be if EMS wasn't there, just put it out there to the communities, rally, do your own PR, go out and actually say to the community - We do this service and get paid this much, how much can you place on a human life *try that approach tug on the ol heart strings etc*

Get some self respect out there, there are some EMT's and Para's out there that I cringe seeing as they make the truck tilt when they hop in. Now we have standards for fitness and uniform etc, and most of the wombles are in the first responder ranks rather than frontline it makes it better, but it takes time.

We are lucky here in NZ, EMS wages are really good, education standards are actually really good and yes there are bad points, but on a whole, we have it a lot better than the USA I am afraid.

Scotty

Our protocols here *and I don't have them on hand but dont worry Kiwiology will no doubt post them *

state that oxygen is given only to maintain an O2 saturation level above 95% and is only given to patients if they are heamodynamically unstable. O2 is given via NP and only at higher levels if unstable or requiring it. I am trying to get a change within our hospital which still blasts patients with at least 6 Litres of O2 for anything, I had a fight with a fellow nurse who tried to blast me with 6-10 litres of O2 when I was in with my heart playing up and refused high level O2. I hope a change comes about, Prehospitally it has come about, so now lets see if it changes in the hospital.

Damn this thread just proves dat "D'em bitches be crazy". Honestly this topic has just brought out reading some of the things related to it online, so much hatred, animosity etc, and makes me happy in all honesty, I live in a country that in a general essence, doesn't have any enemies and has a pretty much accepting nature of most things considered out of the norm by other western societies.

So many things I would love to type, but I would probably be banned for them, so will not even start, but after 30 pages of some intense who'se bible is better than the others, I am so over it.

Scotty

Through the years, I have had the fortune of meeting some amazing people through this site, some have been mentors, some have been companions, some have been lovers even and some have been the boil on my ass that is humanity .... but now I am posting to support my mentor and friend Dwayne.

Over time I have gotten to know this man, and be part of his family and see the pride and admiration for his lad Dylan, growing and striving each day with the silent affliction in the world of Autism.

Dylan and Dwaynes wife are doing a fundraising walk for the Charity Autism Speaks. Below is the link to Dylan's own personal page for the walk. His goal is 150 dollars. I think we as a collective can do better than that.

Think of the mentoring, support, advice and guidance Dwayne has given many of us, learnt from us as we have from him, and is an all round example, that I have found, of a medic and a father.

Go to the link, Sponsor Dylan through this event and reaffirm that we are a collective measure and unit for them all to do this

http://www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1034010&lis=1&kntae1034010=F5DF4178883C47538FF84A6859545D97&supId=362897320

Scotty

And also there is a page for sponsoring for Dylans crew. The link is below but I think we as a group make sure Dylans quota is met first and then onto his crew,

http://www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1034010&lis=1&kntae1034010=F5DF4178883C47538FF84A6859545D97&supId=362873720

Scotty

Anything I can do to help please don't hesitate to sing out, keep us informed as this sounds like an exciting adventure to be had

Scotty

This would solve almost all of the difficulties regarding logistics. Good call.

Well thank you, thank you very much *doing my best Elvis voice*