Jones & Bartlett
Publishers: 21-Nov-01
November 2001
Welcome to Jones and
Bartlett's Emergency Care Electronic Newsletter. This monthly newsletter is
designed exclusively for our community of instructors. Please see the end of
this message for information on subscribing or unsubscribing.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. INTERESTING NEWS STORIES
2. MEDICAL JOURNAL REVIEWS
3. TEACHING TIP
4. ON-LINE SITES
5. FIRST AID DIGEST
6. WHAT'S NEW
7. CALENDAR
1. INTERESTING NEWS STORIES
Lancaster, PA - A woman
thought that she had a stomach virus and went home from work early. It turned
out that she was in labor. The pain quickly became so intense that she had her
husband take her to a hospital emergency room. There, an ER doctor became
perplexed when he examined her. "He wasn't sure what he was feeling at
first," the husband said. "Then he said he wasn't sure if it was one
or two. " I said, 'One or two what?'
He said , 'Babies.'" Within
less than an hour after the diagnosis, the woman gave birth to 7-pound baby. It
was her first child. The woman had thought that any movement she felt was just
gas. She had not experienced the typical symptoms of pregnancy and had only
gained about 10 to 12 pounds.
Columbus, WI -- Three people
were hospitalized for respiratory distress after a chemical accident at a bread
dough manufacturer. County officials said an automatic cleaning system had
malfunctioned, allowing the wrong chemicals to be mixed and released into the
air. Thirty-one people were treated initially at the hospital emergency room.
Island Beach State Park, NJ
-- A bolt of lightning struck two men tossing a football around on a beach on a
clear day. One man was killed while the other survived. The lightning came from
a storm a few miles off shore.
West Haven, CT - During a
fire, an 18-month-old boy was dropped three stories, bounced off a quilt, and
was caught by a neighbor. Firefighters rescued the mother and four others from
the apartment.
2. MEDICAL JOURNAL REVIEWS
Pelvic Injuries
It is important to consider
pelvic injuries for victims of high-speed collisions, falls from extreme
heights, or crushing injuries. One study found a mortality rate of 7.3% in a
group of 975 pelvic fractures. Another study recorded a 25% mortality rate in those
with open pelvic fractures and a 16% mortality rate in those admitted with
closed pelvic fractures. Vehicular trauma accounts for about 60% to 82% of all
pelvic fractures. First aiders must remain aware of the potential for pelvic
trauma whenever the mechanism of injury is rapid and violent with significant
force involved. A good victim assessment involves checking for a pelvic injury.
Source: "Pelvic Plights," JEMS, October
2001
Cardiac Arrest
The ingredients for
successful resuscitation include early 9-1-1 access, early CPR, early
defibrillation, followed by ACLS. This has been termed the "chain of
survival" for cardiac arrest. EMS response to sudden cardiac arrest is of
great importance in most EMS systems. Laypersons with knowledge in CPR and AEDs
are also important in the chain of survival. Recent studies in locations like
Las Vegas and Rochester, MN, have shown value in placing AEDs within the
community in areas that have higher incidence of cardiac arrest. One recent
study of laypersons using a defibrillator demonstrated that persons with a half
an hour of training could deploy and shock simulated victims in 35 seconds.
Source: "Affairs of the Heart," Emergency
Medical Services, September 2001
Carbon Monoxide Exposure in
Snow Caves
Twenty-two healthy
volunteers 18 years or older were exposed to carbon monoxide at in a snow cave
at 3200 meters above sea level. A questionnaire asking for symptoms and blood
samples was collected from the volunteers. The researchers found that ambient
CO and COHb rise after cooking in snow caves at high altitudes. However, this
exposure did not result in measurable symptoms of toxicity. They concluded that
a single exposure after cooking in a snow cave at 3200 meter or lower is
probably safe. Further studies with larger samples sizes are needed with longer
cooking times and multiple exposures.
Caution! Despite the study's findings, cooking in a
snow cave is NOT RECOMMENDED by the publisher or by the National Safety
Council.
Source: "Carbon
Monoxide Exposure from Cooking in Snow Caves at High Altitude" Wilderness
and Environmental Medicine, Fall 2001
3. TEACHING TIP
Make the Most of Your
Personal Communication Strengths
We all know that dynamism,
humor, and dramatic storytelling are skills that make an instructor a
"good teacher." But did you
know that simply deleting "um," "uh," and "you
know" from your speech can increase your students' attention and improve
their evaluation of you as a lecturer?
Everyone is good at some
aspect of teaching. Watching a videotape of one of your lectures or having a
colleague sit in on your class and offer comments are both excellent ways to
find out what you are good at. The elements that enhance an instructor's
effectiveness include clarity, logical organization, ability to pinpoint areas
of confusion for students, knowledge of the material, enthusiasm for your what
you are teaching, effective use of analogies and examples, rapport with
students, use of demonstrations and visual aids, and interactive abilities.
Become aware of what you are good at and make these qualities shine!
4. ON-LINE SITES
New windchill factor index
from the National Weather Service at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/windchill/
Explanation of windchill at
http://www.bmfa.org/resources/windchill.htm
Weather news at
http://www.cnn.com/WEATHER/
5. FIRST AID DIGEST
Wind Chill Temperature Index
by Alton Thygerson
The wind chill index, used
by the National Weather Service since 1973, was incorrect. It significantly
overstated how cold the outside air temperature really felt to people. After
more than a decade of criticism from scientists, the weather service changed to
a more accurate wind chill index on November 1, 2001.
Theoretically, the wind
chill index is supposed to measure the rate at which the body loses heat when
exposed to cold and wind. The index was created as a public health tool to
reduce hypothermia, frostbite, and other cold-related ailments. The wind chill
index was also designed to help advise people on what garments to wear in order
to stay warm--a crucial decision for people who spend long periods outdoors.
The former wind chill index
was based on research conducted in the Antarctic in the 1940s. The study
measured how long it took cans of water to freeze at different temperatures and
wind speeds. The old index took measurements 33 feet above ground, where winds
blow much faster. But the study also did not take into account that the human
skin freezes at a different rate than water. Even different parts of the
body--the face and the hands, for example--freeze at different rates.
The National Weather Service
says that the new index will provide a more accurate, understandable, and
useful formula for calculating the potential danger from the combination of
wind and cold temperatures. A detailed description of the new wind chill index
including the new wind chill chart can be found at
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/windchill
The wind chill temperature
is the temperature that it actually feels like to people and animals outside.
Wind chill is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by
combined effects of wind and cold. As the wind increases, heat is carried away
from the body at a faster rate. Therefore, the wind makes it feel much colder.
If the temperature if 0 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind is blowing at 15 mph,
the wind chill is -19 degrees Fahrenheit. At this wind chill temperature,
exposed skin can freeze in 30 minutes.
Some confusion exists about
how wind chill affects inanimate objects (e.g., the caršs radiator, exposed
water pipe). The inanimate object will not cool below the actual air
temperature. For example, if the temperature outside is 5 degrees Fahrenheit
and the wind chill temperature is 31 degrees Fahrenheit, then the caršs
radiator will not drop lower than 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. WHAT'S NEW
Have you the seen the latest
editions of the Orange Book Series?
Jones and Bartlett
Publishers, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), and the
National Safety Council (NSC) have collaborated on these superior training
programs to better support instructors and prepare students for the field:
Emergency Care and
Transportation of the Sick and Injured, Eighth Edition (ISBN: 0-7637-1666-9
paperback; ISBN: 0-7637-2046-1 hardcover)
First Responder: Your First
Response in Emergency Care, Third Edition (ISBN: 0-7637-1471-2)
Each program is the center
of an integrated teaching and learning system, offering a full line of
instructor resources and student resources, and a comprehensive, interactive
companion web site, specifically designed with each provider level in mind!
Emergency Care and
Transportation of the Sick and Injured, Eighth Edition thoroughly covers the
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) EMT-Basic National Standard Curriculum,
and includes a wealth of enhancements to enrich EMT-Basic education. Some of
the many features you'll find in the Eighth Edition include comprehensive
medical content, dynamic new features, and interactive technology. When you log
on to the companion web site at http://www.emtb.com you'll find Gateway to the
Eighth Edition, offering an in-depth interactive preview of all the newest
"Orange Book" has to offer.
First Responder, Third
Edition provides a unique resource, www.FirstResponderTraining.com, a
comprehensive, interactive web site, specifically designed to compliment the
Third Edition. Visit
http://www.firstrespondertraining.com/ for a complete description of the many
text resources, instructor resources, and student resources our First Responder
program has to offer.
Don't forget - both programs
have been completely updated with the latest CPR guidelines!
To place your order today,
contact your EMS Specialist at http://www.emtb.com/8e/findyoursalesrep.cfm
7. CALENDAR
Conference Schedule*
(*subject to change):
Jones and Bartlett will be
attending the following conferences in November:
Texas EMS Conference 2001,
Austin, TX
For a complete conference
schedule, please visit
http://emergencycare.jbpub.com/showcontentpages.cfm?id=25&dis=3
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