Author: sissokofrancois@gmail.com

A mass-casualty incident (MCI) refers to any call that involves three or more patients, any situation that places such great demand on available equipment and would require a mutual aid response (agreement between neighboring EMS systems to respond when local resources are insufficient to handle the response). The National Incident Management System (NIMS) was developed…

Geriatrics is aged 65 and older. There may be some fear of losing independence. Always treat with respect and avoid ageism. Can stay fit and be active even though they are not able to perform at the same level as they did in their youth. When communicating with a geriatric patient, use name or sir…

There are nine phases of an ambulance call. There is the preparation phase, dispatch, en route, arrival at scene, transfer of the patient to the ambulance, en route to the receiving facility, at the receiving facility (delivery), en route to the station, and the post run. In the preparation phase you make sure all equipment…

There are numerous examples of patients with special challenges EMTs may encounter during a medical emergency. Some examples are as follows. Children who were born prematurely and who have associated respiratory problems. Infants or small children with congenital heart disease. Patients with neurologic disease (occasionally caused by hypoxemia at the time of birth, as with…

There are a few challenges to providing emergency care to pediatric patients, which is why effective communication with both the patient and their family members is critical to success. A child may or may not be able to tell you what is wrong, and the caregiver may be acting irrationally, but communication is the key.…

During puberty, the maturing female body undergoes multiple physical and hormonal changes, ultimately leading to menarche. The average cycle is 24 days, and the processes that the follicle goes through and the actual release of the egg (ovulation) are stimulated by the release of specific hormones in the female body. Ovulation occurs approximately two weeks…

There are four factors that affect how a person deals with exposure to a cold or hot environment: physical condition (ill or in poor physical condition), age, nutrition and hydration, and also environmental conditions. There are five ways heat loss occurs in the body and how the rate and amount of heat loss or gain…

The anatomy and physiology of the abdomen is incredibly interesting. The upper right contains the gallbladder, the duodenum of the intestines, the majority of the liver, and a small portion of the pancreas. The upper left contains the spleen, most of the stomach, and the larger portion of the pancreas. The left lower contains the…

Ventilation is the body’s ability to move air in and out of the chest and lung tissues. Oxygenation is the process of delivering oxygen to the blood by diffusion from the alveoli following inhalation into the lungs. A thin membrane called the pleura covers each side of the thoracic cavity. The inner wall is covered…

A poison is a substance whose chemical action could damage structures or impair function when introduced into the body. A toxin, a poison or harmful substance, is a poisonous substance produced by bacteria, animals, or plants that acts by changing the normal metabolism of cells or by destroying them. An overdose – taking too much…