Abstract: This paper examines the behaviors of emergency medical service (EMS) workers during emergency medical transport. The study uses an advanced naturalistic data collection system to record visual, vehicle, and accessory parameters associated with each ambulance trip. Visual data was analyzed to look at restraint characteristics, position within the ambulance data, and posture data to ide...

Case 1: A 24 year-old woman is found down in Pioneer Square by some bystanders. The medics are called and, upon arrival, find her with an oxygen saturation of 88% on room air and pinpoint pupils on exam. She is brought into the Harborview ER where a room air arterial blood gas is performed and reveals: pH 7.25, PCO2 60, PO2 65, HCO3 26, Base Excess 1. On his chemistry panel, her sodium is 137, ...

BACKGROUND Prompt recognition and treatment of a tension pneumothorax is critical to reducing mortality in both military and civilian settings. Physician assistants, Special Operations Forces (SOF) and conventional force Medics are often the first medical providers to care for combat trauma patients with penetrating chest trauma and frequently have limited diagnostic capabilities available to t...

BACKGROUND It is speculated that the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus might fall into a seasonal pattern during the current post-pandemic period with more severe clinical presentation for high-risk groups identified during the 2009 pandemic. Hence the extent of likely excess healthcare needs during this period must be fully considered. We will make use of the historical healthcare record in T...

Military physicians have long recognized that rapid evacuation from the battlefield decreases suffering and prevents death. Air medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) of seriously ill and injured patients during military operations was pioneered in the United States by the US Army. The first use of an aircraft to evacuate US Soldiers was in 1926 when the US Army Air Corps transported them from Nicaragua ...