Session Descriptions
To register for Focus EMS 2009 click here
If you would like to view the schedule of events as a table click here.
9:00-10:30
Dr. James Callahan: Pediatric Respiratory Emergencies: Surviving the first 15 Minutes
As you enter the child’s bedroom, you hear the high pitched stridor coming from his throat before you see the pale-grey pallor of his skin. Respiratory emergencies are among the most terrifying pediatric calls an EMT can encounter. Learn how to assess and manage the crucial first 15 minutes of pediatric respiratory emergencies.
10:45-12:15
Dr. Michael Witt: Pediatric Office Emergencies
EMS is frequently called for serious medical emergencies in pediatricians’ offices. For example, over 66% of pediatricians’ offices report a severe asthma attack in the last year. This problem is compounded by the fact that most medical office staff are ill-prepared and under-equipped for an emergency (only 27% have a provider trained in Pediatric Advanced Life Support). Understanding what to expect when arriving at your local pediatrician’s office is key to ensuring a successful outcome. This session will be a frank discussion regarding what EMS providers can reasonably expect from pediatricians and their staff.
Dr. Kurt Rhynhart: A Trauma Surgeon’s Experience in Iraq
This is a frank and graphic discussion of a trauma surgeon’s experience in Iraq focusing on both the medical and human components of war. This session will discuss trauma in an environment few will ever experience.
Dr. Alasdair Conn: The Growing Importance of EMS Regionalization, and Healthcare Reform
More about Dr. Alasdair Conn's presentation will be available in the future.
PediaSIM: Hands on Pediatric Practical Training
Come run scenarios using the METI high fidelity human patient simulator, PediaSIM. The PediaSIM simulator breathes, blinks, has pupil response, bleeds, and even talks. During this 1.5 hour seminar that will run in each of the time slots, participants will get the chance to work as a team with this top of the line simulator to treat a variety of pediatric emergency medical problems.
12:15-1:00
Dr. Michael Witt: Pediatric Pain Control (brown bag lunch for ALS)
Join Dr. Michael Witt for a brown bag ALS lunch discussing pain control in children. Pain medication is often underused in children, perhaps as a result of inexperience with children and the concern of causing harm. Recent studies have shown that infants and young children may experience pain differently than adults and has also been shown to have long term emotional affects on these patients. Spend lunch discussing the practical aspects of assessing and managing pain in a pediatric patient.
1:00-2:30
Dr. James Callahan: Is the Child Sick or Not?
Hone your ability to assess a pediatric patient. Within seconds of walking through the door you need to decide how urgently this child requires care. This class will focus on strategies allowing the prehospital professional to develop a quick, general impression of a child’s status, establish a level of severity, and determine urgency for advanced life support.
Eric Jaeger: Managing Pediatric Seizures
Pediatric patients experiencing an active seizure can be frightening for prehospital providers. They present difficult challenges in several areas, including assessment of ventilatory status, airway management, intravenous access and pharmacological treatment. This lecture will outline the significant dangers of status epilepticus (i.e. prolonged seizures), illustrate various seizure types using videos of actual seizures, and review the latest research regarding the treatment of seizures in the prehospital environment.
Chief Richard Serino: EMS at the Intersection of Public Health and Public Safety
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in general are in a unique position, crossing the divide between public safety and public health, in mission, function and the agencies they coordinate with. On the one hand EMS’ are focused on saving lives and promoting health, working collaboratively with local public health departments, hospitals and health centers, while on the other hand they are an integral component of any City or Town’s public safety network.
As one of the oldest EMS systems in the Country and the largest in New England, Boston EMS has a long history in both public health and public safety realms. The service is a bureau within the City’s Public Health Commission, the Boston EMS Chief of Department is also Assistant Director for the Public Health Commission and the service holds a seat on the City’s Public Safety Cabinet. These have fostered a commitment within the service to serve as a bridge, advocating for or speaking on behalf of health agencies in the public safety sphere and representing public safety within the health care community. This has in many ways served as a catalyst to bring these very different groups to the same table, allowing for investments such as a Medical Intelligence Center, where both can send representatives to share information and collaborate during health related emergencies, such as the recent H1N1 outbreak.
This presentation will cover the experiences of Boston EMS and serve to inform other communities and EMS systems on ways in which they can improve local preparedness and coordination through bridging the public health and public safety divide.
PediaSIM: Hands on Pediatric Practical Training
Come run scenarios using the METI high fidelity human patient simulator, PediaSIM. The PediaSIM simulator breathes, blinks, has pupil response, bleeds, and even talks. During this 1.5 hour seminar that will run in each of the time slots, participants will get the chance to work as a team with this top of the line simulator to treat a variety of pediatric emergency medical problems.
2:45-4:15
Larry Topliffe: Treating Burns in the Prehospital Setting
Caring for a severely burned victim can be among the most gruesome and stressful situations encountered by an EMT or Paramedic and making correct treatment decisions can dramatically improve patient outcome. This presentation will center on the assessment and stabilization of a burn victim in the prehospital setting. It will also include information on burn etiology, statistics, and mass casualty strategies.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Advanced Response Team (DHART)
Does DHART (and similar services) need a pre-established landing zone? Will they come for a trauma code? Get answers to these and other important questions regarding air medical services in New Hampshire. This session will focus on DHART’s capabilities and review important packaging and safety concerns. DHART is based at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, New Hampshire’s only Level 1 Trauma Center. DHART helicopters will be available for viewing throughout lunch.
Sue Prentiss: The Evolution of EMS Protocols: Look at How Far We’ve Come
EMS protocols have evolved significantly over the last five years. “One size fits all” treatment algorithms have been expanded to provide different treatment modalities for adult and pediatric patients and to address specialty topics such as disaster preparedness, interfacility transfers, and mass immunizations. The latest scientific research, as well as data from online patient care report databases (NEMSIS/TEMSIS), is being used to inform the ongoing revision of protocols. Ms. Prentiss will discuss these trends in protocol development and how they have shaped the 2009 New Hampshire protocols.
PediaSIM: Hands on Pediatric Practical Training
Come run scenarios using the METI high fidelity human patient simulator, PediaSIM. The PediaSIM simulator breathes, blinks, has pupil response, bleeds, and even talks. During this 1.5 hour seminar that will run in each of the time slots, participants will get the chance to work as a team with this top of the line simulator to treat a variety of pediatric emergency medical problems.
**CEUs approved by State Offices in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Maine approval pending.
