Emergency Care

About our authors Daniel Limmer began working in EMS in 1978. He became an EMT in 1980 and a paramedic in 1981. Currently, he is a lecturer at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, and an adjunct faculty member at Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor, Maine. He especially enjoys teaching patient assessment and believes critical thinking and decision-making skills are the key to successful clinical practice of EMS. In addition to his EMS experience, he was a dispatcher and police officer in upstate New York. Daniel works part time as a freelance photojournalist and is working on a documentary project photographing EMS people and agencies throughout the United States. Daniel lives in Maine with his wife, Stephanie, and daughters Sarah and Margo. He is a Jimmy Buffett fan (Parrothead) who attends at least one concert each year. Michael F. O’Keefe is an EMT Provider Level Leader for National EMS Education Standards. He served as an expert writer for 1994 revision of EMT-Basic curriculum. He has been an EMS volunteer since college in 1976. He is a member of the development group for the National EMS Education Agenda for the Future: A Systems Approach and The National EMS Scope of Practice Model. Michael has a special interest in EMS research and earned a master’s degree in biostatistics. He is a past chairperson of the National Council of State EMS Training Coordinators. Michael’s interests include science fiction, travel, foreign languages and stained glass. Edward T. Dickinson is the medical director of the Malvern, Berwyn and Radnor Fire Companies in Pennsylvania. He was first certified as an EMT in 1979 in upstate New York and has been continuously certified as a National Registry Paramedic since 1983. In 1985, was the first volunteer firefighter to receive the top award from Firehouse Magazine for heroism for the rescue of two elderly women trapped in a house fire. Edward has a full-time academic emergency medicine practice at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, where he also serves as the Medical Director for PENNStar Flight. He is board certified in both Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services. He has served as medical editor for numerous Brady EMT and First Responder texts. Edward lives in Chester County, Pennsylvania, where he is married to Debbie and has two sons, Steve and Alex.

Table of Contents SECTION 1: FOUNDATIONS

Introduction to Emergency Medical Care
Well-Being of the EMT
Lifting and Moving Patients
Medical, Legal, and Ethical Issues
Medical Terminology
Anatomy and Physiology
Principles of Pathophysiology
Life Span Development

SECTION 2: AIRWAY MANAGEMENT, RESPIRATION, AND ARTIFICIAL VENTILATION

Airway Management
Respiration and Artificial Ventilation

SECTION 3: PATIENT ASSESSMENT

Scene Size-Up
Primary Assessment
Vital Signs and Monitoring Devices
Principles of Assessment
Secondary Assessment
Reassessment
Communication and Documentation

SECTION 4: MEDICAL EMERGENCIES

General Pharmacology
Respiratory Emergencies
Cardiac Emergencies
Resuscitation
Diabetic Emergencies and Altered Mental Status
Allergic Reaction
Infectious Diseases and Sepsis
Poisoning and Overdose Emergencies
Abdominal Emergencies
Behavioral and Psychiatric Emergencies and Suicide
Hematologic and Renal Emergencies

SECTION 5: TRAUMA EMERGENCIES

Bleeding and Shock
Soft-Tissue Trauma
Chest and Abdominal Trauma
Musculoskeletal Trauma
Trauma to the Head, Neck, and Spine
Multisystem Trauma
Environmental Emergencies

SECTION 6: SPECIAL POPULATIONS

Obstetric and Gynecologic Emergencies
Emergencies for Patients with Special Challenges

SECTION 7: OPERATIONS

EMS Operations
Hazardous Materials, Multiple-Casualty Incidents, and Incident Management
Highway Safety and Vehicle Extrication
EMS Response to Terrorism