Hazmat

Stay safe! Certain scenes and scenarios invite a greater degree of caution. Wear protective gear (Level B for decon) and make sure the patient is hazmat-naked prior to decontamination. Use tincture of green soap or household dishwashing soap to decontaminate your patient. Maintain the patient's airway using oral/nasal airways; intubate if indicated. Give high-flow oxygen by nonrebreather oxygen mask or, if intubated, with a bagh-valve mask. Treat for shock by maintaining the patient's body temperature, keeping them supine if they will tolerate it, and gaining i...

OBJECTIVE: Determine the time difference obtaining intraosseous (IO) versus intravenous (IV) access while wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) in simulated HazMat scenarios. METHODS: Twenty-two EMT-P providers established anterior tibial IO access using the EZ-IO system and routine antecubital IV access in three mannequin and PPE HazMat scenarios: 1) provider and mannequin not in PPE, 2) only provider in Level C PPE, and 3) provider and mannequin both wearing Level C PPE...

First popularized in Japan, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas suicide is an underreported form of suicide with known risk for secondary disaster. Mortality rate commonly exceeds 90% because of the gas's lethal, noncontained nature. Instances in the United States are increasing, up from 2 cases in 2008 to 18 in 2010. Because H2S poisonings remain rare, there exists a lack of knowledge regarding the residual effects of gas venting after victim extrication. Identifying instances of the efficacious use of personal protection equipment (PPE) is critical in the effort to alleviate risks faced by hospital and rescue personnel...

INTRODUCTION: Management of contaminated patients in the decontamination corridor requires the use of hazardous material (HazMat) personal protective equipment (PPE). Previous studies have demonstrated that HazMat PPE may increase the difficulty of airway management. This study compared the efficiency of video laryngoscopy (VL) with traditional direct laryngoscopy (DL) during endotracheal intubation (ETI) while wearing HazMat PPE. METHODS: Post-graduate year (PGY) 1-3 Emergency Medicine residents were randomized to VL or DL while wearing encapsulating PPE...