Matt Bisgaier
Complete heart block in an ETOH OD - March 19, 2009 8:34 am
A college-aged female patient was brought to the ED for an alcohol overdose. After two doses each of 2 mg lorazepam (Ativan) and 5 mg haloperidol (Haldol), she developed a complete heart block. Recovery was spontaneous after ventilatory support.
View a PDF of the entire experience.
EKG interpretation (and study sheet) - March 9, 2009 7:19 am
I learned a very systematic way to interpret EKGs (thanks to Dr. Karduck at the Conemaugh School of EMS). The basic premise behind the process is that no matter how screwed up something looks at first glance, you can identify what it is by following the rules. It’s amazing how many people in healthcare practice [...]
Treat the patient and the monitor - March 8, 2009 7:24 pm
Last night I was told, “treat the patient, not the monitor” in response to a discussion over an EKG. I’ve probably been guilty of telling people this before, but I hope that I haven’t passed that advice on to anyone since becoming a paramedic. It sounds innocuous enough, but in reality the monitor has some [...]