ER’s Swamped After Wilma

From CNN.com
PLANTATION, Florida (AP) — A week after Hurricane Wilma, more than 1 million Florida homes are still without power and many doctors’ offices remain closed, leaving hospitals swamped as the only source of medical care in some communities.
“You can’t get any regular doctors on the phone. You can’t get anything filled,” said Tim Swett, [...]

Doctors, Cadavers and America’s First Riot

From Medgadget:
On this Halloween, we present a story that starts as a tale of the macabre, and evolves into star-studded massacre.
It’s the tale of the first riot in the young United States, a riot not about taxes or whiskey but cadavers, and the inappropriate procurement of them.

2nd Airlift Northwest Crash in One Month

From KOMO News:
OLYMPIA - Federal investigators were at Providence-St. Peter Hospital early Saturday, examining debris from the second Airlift Northwest medical-evacuation helicopter crash in a month.
None of the four people on board was seriously injured in the accident, which occurred on takeoff from the hospital roof late Friday. The previous crash, Sept. 29 near [...]

Conflict in Washington State

Trouble’s brewing in Belfair, WA. From Kipasun.com (registration required):
Fire District 2 Chief Mike Greene is in the middle of a controversy he didn’t foresee when he sought election to the Mason County public hospital board. In what Greene calls an “attack ad,” six Mason General Hospital emergency room doctors say they have “no confidence in [...]

Emergency Room Rap

From GruntDoc
Very amusing….
I’m a big fan of ER Nurses, but not of rap music. Why do I mention those two interesting things in one sentence?
Because the University of Alabama (Birmingham) ED nurses have the best Emergency Nurse rap video I’ve seen! For the record, I’ve seen exactly one, but it’s terrific!
Disclaimers: It’s a Windows [...]

Emergency room guarantees fast service

From TriCities.com
BRISTOL, Tenn. – Twenty-six minutes of your time could be worth $25.
Bristol Regional Medical Center now promises patients they will begin to receive treatment within 25 minutes or receive a $25 gift card to a local store or vendor.
The whole visit should last no more than 70 minutes, hospital officials promise.
Having to wait stands [...]

Man in hospital hit by woman with crowbar

Insult after injury…From Sign On San Diego:
COLLEGE AREA – A man in the Alvarado Hospital emergency room awaiting care after getting into a fight was attacked by a woman with a crowbar and seriously injured Wednesday night, police said.
The victim, who is in his 60s, was taken to the hospital to be treated for [...]

Technique For Starting a Large Bore IV

From Medgadget:
In September’s issue of Anesthesiology, Dr. Jonathan I. Stein of York Hospital (York, PA) describes a nifty technique for placing a large-bore IV in patients with suboptimal veins. The idea is based on the Bier block, a commonly performed intravenous block for extremities.
So here is the way to do it. A small-bore (20- to [...]

The Next Step for STEMI: Field Dx and Decision?

From Biotech Intelligence:
New Treatment Protocol Delivers Four-Fold Reduction in Mortality Among Higher Risk Heart Attack Victims
The hearts of patients experiencing chest pains caused by blocked arteries typically exhibit a particular type of ECG waveform called a STEMI (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction). The UOHI team trained paramedics to recognize the STEMI waveform and initiate a protocol designed [...]

Urgent Care at Wal-Mart

From WBALChannel.com:
Solantic, an urgent care company based in Jacksonville, Fla., has struck a deal with the world’s largest retailer to locate walk-in clinics in two of its stores in Florida.
Each center has a board-certified physician on duty and is open on weekends, holidays and weekends — the same as Wal-Mart.
Solantic said the flexible hours will [...]