What Would Erle Do?

For me one of the worst calls I can go on is a stroke, almost instantly a normal person can become severely disabled. Stroke is the leading cause of disability in The U.S. In the old days we would take the patient to the hospital and they would get better or they would not get better, there was no urgency to the call, take care of the ABCs and transport.

Things are different now with the stroke team approach and the use of TPA many stroke patients can be helped. These treatments show great promise but cannot be imitated if the patient is not treated within three hours, the clock for treatment starts clicking at the onset of symptoms making it difficult to get patients the appropriate facility in time. I think the training on the EMS side is getting better and EMS crews are approaching strokes with a sense of urgency. The patients however are not calling for help in a timely manner. Sixty nine percent of stroke victims do not reach the hospital within three hours forty six percent do not reach the hospital in less than six hours and forty four percent do not present to the hospital for twelve hours or more. So in spite of promising new therapies few patients are receiving it due to people not seeking medical care. People may not call for help because they are in denial or they believe nothing can be done if they have a stroke.

As EMS providers we are doing a good job of educating ourselves about stroke but we are doing a terrible job of educating the public. What good are these modern treatments if our patients are not calling for help? I believe it is our job to get out there and educate the public about the signs and symptoms of stroke, so get out there and spread the word!

Funny video click on link

http://www.youtube.com/user/emserle

With all of the elagant articles out there about what we owe our veterans my words can hardly do them justice. My father was a WWII veteran and member of the greatest generation that saved the world. We also owe a debt to everyone who served in all of the conflicts since WWII. And a big thank you to all those who are curently serving in our armed forces.

Erle                                               

Summer is a distant memory and fall has left us behind, winter is upon us. Winter brings its own kind of pleasures, the holiday season, winter sports like cross country skiing, hikes on snow shoes or just a relaxing evening in front of the fireplace. Winter also brings us an increased risk of Carbon Monoxide poisoning.

So what is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is the result of incomplete combustion of carbon based fuels. CO can come from propane or natural gas stoves, furnaces or water heaters, wood burning stoves, fireplaces, automobile exhaust, charcoal grills and cigarette smoke. The fumes from any combustible source should be considered a potential source of CO. (more…)

Charges dismissed in sherry enema death

Paramedic won’t be disciplined

http://www.emsdailynews.com/?p=687

Woman allegedly drives with hubby on car  

Jealous wife nearly severs hubby’s penis

Man Puts Rattlesnake in Mouth and, Guess What?

By The Associated Press

Forklift removes 900-pound man from home

 Back seat tryst blamed for SUV crash

I don’t know if you have been to the Estes Park Post Office lately but you may have noticed that The Post Office in their infinite wisdom has decided to remove all of the trash cans. The stated reason was some baloney about The Post Office being worried about our identities being stolen from the trashed junk mail. I suspect they were just tired of going to the dumpster. I find this rather ironic since The Post office main business is now junk mail. This being no big deal to me I have been dutifully hauling my junk mail home before its ultimate demise in my trash can.

I found this all somewhat amusing until recently, I ordered an item online and I chose USPS as the carrier as I do when given the choice. While checking for the package I left behind a piece of junk mail. The next day I found that junk mail back in my box, still no package. Checking on the tracking number showed that the package had been in Estes Park for two days. Apparently resorting junk mail has taken priority over delivering packages. I will be using UPS or Fed Ex in the future!