Clinical Practice

Traumatic brain injuries: Continuing dilemmas in the pre-hospital care arena

Immediate manual inline immobilisation was initiated to prevent further secondary injuries from a possible undiagnosed c-spine fracture, while a primary survey was undertaken. This survey provides a...

Seasonal variations effect on trauma admissions: Myth or reality?

A systematic search for relevant studies was undertaken using Medline, EMBASE and Cochrane databases. Studies from 1990 to 2011 were included. The MESH terms used for the search included: trauma...

‘A pain in the back’: Psoas abscess and the importance of red and yellow flags

A 19 year old man attended an ED in Wales (UK) with an eleven day history of low back pain. Following a five mile walk he developed bilateral heaviness in his legs, one day later he experienced...

Pre-hospital coronary heart disease: Analysing performance indicators

Ischemic heart disease is a condition characterised by inadequate myocardial perfusion caused by reduced blood supply, increased myocardial oxygen demand, or both (Falk et al. 2011). Coronary heart...

The introduction of the intubating laryngeal mask into paramedic practice

The study was conducted to fulfil the requirement of a master of medical science by research. Ethics approval for this study was obtained from the University of Tasmania Human Research Ethics...

Legal substances and their abuse: Legal highs

Stimulants such as caffeine, dextromethorphan in cough remedies, cough and cold remedies containing stimulants or antihistamines are misused and abused for improving performance and for their...

Professional indemnity insurance: is it really worth the cost?

As a paramedic, you will often work in a high pressure environment making split second decisions and exposing yourself both to personal risk and professional liability. It is important to ensure...