FUBAR

All I have to say is WOW! Now from what i have been thought and follow is treat the pt not the machine. He is having c/p simular to previous M.I's, and has an extensive cardiac hx, for the love of god treat it. As for the absence of elevation in the 12 lead, I would agree with possibility of non-stemi mi. The only reliable way to rule out an MI is through labs.

Wow...................... we medics will fight over the dumbest things.

I have gone through the same thing bro! I'll tell you a few things that might ease the pressure: 1) Leave the job at the door. Which means don't come home and tell her about that awesome traumatic code you did. She just won't be able to relate. 2)Work friends stay at work or boys night out. You have some of your work buddies over for dinner the conversation will turn to ems talk. Well you might as well speak Latin and she will feel left out. 3)If you work 24h shifts find another job. A place with 10/12/14h shifts can guarantee at least a few hours of quality time. 4) No OT. Your free time is hers. and try to get the same days off if possible. Now give this a try. It is not really that difficult to do. I'm just wondering too if maybe she is a little young and maybe doesn't understand your job and the dedication that it takes. And remember a relationship is a 2 way street

We have been using the hi-lo for about a year now here in Calgary. No real difference really other than they don't come packaged with a stylet. And watch out for the over anxious medic who will try to inflate the suction port.

I would just take into consideration the cost and the benefits for patient and the ease of use for your staff. The Auto-pulse is heavy, cumbersome but it is easy to apply to the pt. And like i said before there are no increase in the arrest to discharge ratio. I know that you might think that this would be a great tool but consider the fact that the likely hood of survival of someone in arrest for the 30 min transport time is minimal at best. It could be a good tool for BLS providers that can't call the code after working it for twenty min. The Auto-pulse is expensive and unless you work in the Bermuda triangle of cardiac arrest i can't see handing over the cash to put these on your cars. A basic thumper though a little more complicated will do the trick.

Probably the most violent thing i have ever seen. They say the compressions it delivers is more effective than a normal beating heart but the studies show no increase in pt discharge as compared to regular CPR. I'm glad these pieces of crap are off our cars. It's enough that family members have to see us work a code in their house but probably more disturbing is seeing this leviathan at work

O my dear god! I know that sometimes when its 4 o'clock in the afternoon and i haven't eaten lunch that run to the nursing home sucks, but i would never go back to my hall to eat or even pick up my lunch. The most i would do is kick myself for not bringing with me.