Month: January 2017

I am past the point of being dangerous by the time I realize it. My vision has been blurry for the past twenty miles and I can feel my brain shutting down.

Jesus, did I just fall asleep driving?

I’m not sure, there seems to be a second or two of consciousness missing but we are still on the road so I don’t know. Even though we are just ten miles from the station on a return trip from a midnight transfer I throw in the towel and ask my partner “can you drive?” Continue reading “Unsafe At Any Speed: EMS and Fatigue.” →

The first time Marjorie Mangiaruca died was on October 10, 2011. She was 90 years old, suffering from significant dementia and living in a skilled nursing facility.

She was found unresponsive with blue lips, gasping for air at Oakbridge Healthcare Center. EMS was called and they quickly began to transport her to the ER. While en route they tried to establish an airway. Before a definitive airway could be established by EMS the patient suffered a cardiac arrest. The ambulance was pulled to the side of the road and CPR was begun and a tracheostomy* was performed. The patient was given medications to “restart her heart” ( I assume epinephrine, but I do not know) and for reasons that are unexplained she was given paralytics by the EMS crew. Continue reading “The Second Death of Marjorie Mangiaruca: The Unjust Culture of EMS Resuscitation.” →