What equipment do you bring with you on calls?

[BAYAMedic]

All calls get the airway bag that contains:

BP cuff/steth

D cylinder

Nrb, cannulas, Neb mask, T-Neb, BVM adult and peds.

Airway roll: ETT 6.0-10.0, styletts, bougie, 10ml syringe, colormetric, tube holder, handle and mac 3-4 and miller 4.

Jet insuffalation kit

Surgical cricothyrotomy kit.

Thoracocentisis kit

Trauma modules with 4x4, vaseline gauze, coban, kling, abd, etc.

Procedure masks, emisis bags, red bags extra bsi stuff.

Loved the idea of the symptom med bag on the monitor. I intend to steal that and implement that here.

Fireman1037

*edit to add a few items*

Edited June 6, 2012 by Fireman1037

[Fenta]

We must always carry 3 - 4 things with us.

- Red Bag for BLS/ PHTLS and Blue Bag for ALS with 5 drugs

or a Complett Rescue Backback for BLS/ ALS/ PHTLS with more than 10 drugs

- AED or Semi-automatic defibrillator

- Succion Unit

For children we have an extra emergency case for PLS.

mobile stretcher, carrying chair, Spine Board, scoop stretcher and vacuum mattress we take to our patient during the supply.

[DFIB]

OB - OB kit, medbox.

No monitor for OB's?

[Bieber]

No monitor for OB's?

Now that I think about it sometimes we do bring the monitor instead of the box. Just depends I guess. Haven't had a field birth yet.

We must always carry 3 - 4 things with us.

- Red Bag for BLS/ PHTLS and Blue Bag for ALS with 5 drugs

or a Complett Rescue Backback for BLS/ ALS/ PHTLS with more than 10 drugs

- AED or Semi-automatic defibrillator

- Succion Unit

For children we have an extra emergency case for PLS.

mobile stretcher, carrying chair, Spine Board, scoop stretcher and vacuum mattress we take to our patient during the supply.

Wow, that's a lot of stuff. Do you feel like its appropriate or would you change it if you could?

[Kiwiology]

Here is the backpack

This is a typical response; one Ambulance Officer has the backpack another has the monitor and oxygen

This is what was used in the 1980s/1990s - two big black hard cases.

The blue one contained general stuff and the red one with the old national ambulance star of life logo on it contained all the drugs, IV gear and intubation equipment used by the Advanced Care Officer (Paramedic) ... so, what is used now is a huge improvement!

The stretcher is rarely taken into a job

I think the only thing I would modify is to change the backpack so the portable oxygen can fit into an external side pouch if required to free up a hand and if it needs to be taken in with the patient then just be taken out

Overall the setup here is very good

Edited June 7, 2012 by Kiwiology

[WolfmanHarris]

Harris, having those meds on your monitor is pretty ingenuous, do you also have IV supplies in it? Do you carry different sizes of BP cuffs on the monitor as well or did you have to sacrifice those for the drugs? With regards to the O2 bag, we have one of those too, but I rarely use it because fire is usually on scene before we are and they have their own O2 bag (plus we have a D cylinder on the foot of the cot), and because I very rarely place people on oxygen unless it's a difficulty breathing complaint.

No IV supplies on the monitor. The IV kit is in it's own bag within the backpack. It could be brought in on it's own if need be but chances are if I'm starting a line, but didn't bring in the backpack than it's probably not a particularly emergent line and can wait a moment while I go grab the bag or can be done in the back of the truck.

In the monitor we only carry the adult NIBP. The different sized cuffs in the O2 bag are all manual. We didn't sacrifice space for the meds, we've never carried multiple NIBP cuffs. The rear pouch that no holds our symptom relief bag used to just hold extra paper and a lot of junk that can be just as easily left in the truck. (Who needs a half dozen spare razors on the call?)

We usually beat fire or arrive at the same time since our station's co-located with them. I bring the O2 bag in since I'll clear FD as soon as I know I don't want the hands so I don't want to rely on it. I only bring the O2 bag in on chest pain, SOB or decreased LOA calls and only put it on when warranted. We also don't have a D-tank on the bed and usually the bed is outside the house.

To everyone who brings additional equipment beyond the monitor in on calls, how often do you find yourselves using equipment out of your medboxes/knapsacks/medbags/first in bags/O2 bags? Do you feel like you get a lot of use out of them or that it's mostly there "just in case"?

The O2 bag usually comes in "just in case" based on call details. But since apparently everyone is short of breath at the time of the call is more often than not put back in the truck unused.

[firemedic37]

It has been interesting and informative reading over what people are bringing in on calls. Here are our available bags to carry:

Main Bag: Airway kits (BLS and ALS), ALS drugs including narcs and all administration equipment, IV start kit, Bandages, SAM Splint, C-Collars, Arm Board, Manual Suction Unit and O2 Administration Supplies.

Cardiac Monitor: Well it says it . . . Everything for our monitor is included on the side and back pouches.

Pediatric Bag: Everything in pediatric sizes plus OB kit. If they make it in a pediatric size we have it . . .

Now the calls:

Medical: Main Bag and Monitor.

Trauma: Main Bag (Unless they give us more information like CPR in progress).

Transfers: Monitor if at our hospital. If outside of our hospital then we take the main bag with us too.

OB/Pediatric: Main Bag (all of our medications), Pediatric Bag and Monitor.

Nursing Home and Assisted Living: Cot and then based on what the complaint is, sometimes just the cot.

If its a 911 call then we don't take the cot in with us.

I really like this set-up and works very well for us. Not a lot of stuff to grab and not too heavy either. Our main bag is just a regular sized jump kit. Here's the link to our bag: http://www.allmed.net/catalog/item/1,90,3345,3344,105

[Fenta]

Wow, that's a lot of stuff. Do you feel like its appropriate or would you change it if you could?

I will not Change it. I like it. There have already been worse.

There's not much in the backpacks.

Red Bag

- Disposable gloves

- Hand disinfectants

- Blood pressure meter

- stethoscope

- Blood glucose meter

- resuscitator

- ventilation masks

- Manual Suction Pump

- suction catheter

- crushing bags

- Sam Splints

- dressing material

- cool packs

- rescue Blankets

-documentation sheets

Blue Bag

- 2-liter oxygen bottle with pressure reducer

- Oxygen connection tubes

- oxygen masks

- oxygen cannulas

- finger tips

- swab

- Skin disinfectant

- intravenous catheters

- Fixing plaster for intravenous catheters

- 500 ml Ringer lactate solutions

- infusion systems

- adrenaline ampoules

- fenoterol spray

- Nitrolingual spray

- diazepam Rectiole

The other big rescue backpack from our Ambulanzes includes the complete material from Red/Blue Bag and a little bit more Drugs. Red and Blue Bag weigh separately 24 Kg. The big rescue backpack from our ambulances 45 Kg.

[Fenta]

I forgot something.....

In the Red Bag we have 3 Larynxtubes and in the Blue Bag a complete intubation set.

[JMH]

BLS, First in bag, every call, O2, BVM's, masks/neb/canula, NPA/OPS's, V-vac, assessment stuff, PPE, and basic trauma stuff. Collars/straps in separate bag. Peds/ob in peds bag. Electric suction as needed, . AED on med/cardiac

Stretcher went as close as it reasonably could, with bags/gear on it. Stair chair or Reeves or back board brought the patient to the stretcher. Always transported on cot.

Regards, Jim