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Prepare for looming oxygen shortage
These are some preparedness tips you should share immediately with your colleagues
By Greg Friese
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Editor's note: For those who haven't caught on, note the date of publication. Happy April Fools' Day! We hope you enjoyed our series of articles to mark April 1. Check out the full round-up here. |
Drug shortages are capturing the headlines and EMS service directors, medical directors and pharmacists are scrambling to maintain necessary stores of lifesaving medications.
Even though the 2010 American Heart Association Emergency Cardiac Care Guidelines have reduced overall usage of oxygen – limiting administration only to patients with signs of hypoxia — it is critical that we are all prepared for the looming oxygen shortage.
These are some preparedness tips you should share immediately with your colleagues, service director, and medical director:
1. Practice mindful and intentional bradypnea. Begin by crossing your legs, straightening your back and resting your hands on your knees. Close your eyes and let your mind wander to a happy place. Slowly breathe in … hold 1 … 2 … 3 … 4 … 5 and slowly exhale. Practice until you can count to 10 between each breath.
2. Cancel all staff meetings, especially meetings without agendas, goals, or objectives. If a meeting must be held, try this oxygen conservation technique. The speaker can only talk for as long as the audience can hold their breath. As soon as someone inhales, the speaker must cede the floor to the next speaker.
3. Prohibit EMS providers from self administering oxygen boluses after physical exertion. If you are gassed after climbing a single flight of stairs like a defensive lineman that just ran a fumble back for a touchdown, you need to solve the underlying fitness problem.
4. Increase the ambient oxygen supply in the patient care compartment by mounting several small plants on the action counter next to the captain's chair. Make sure you periodically turn the plants so they don't grow unevenly toward the nearest window.
Finally, even though you might be told "the nurse on the last shift said this COPD patient would be OK on ¼ liter by nasal cannula" running through 15 meters of tubing, it is probably OK to turn the O's up to at least 1 liter, especially if the patient is hypoxic.
How are you preparing for the looming oxygen shortage? Have you reduced your respiratory drive? How can you keep the windbags around you from over-consuming oxygen?
Brian Lilley Sunday, April 01, 2012 7:46:26 AM Excellent suggestions, Greg Friese! I believe that #4 will become increasingly important for EMS providers in coming years. Not only will plants be vital for oxygenating the patient care compartment, but they will allow for more prehospital herbalism. I predict that topical pain relief with aloe vera and elderberry will eventually replace the use of intravenous narcotics for severe burns and fractures. 
Matt Stone Sunday, April 01, 2012 3:42:05 PM Don't let administration read this! They might see a new cost cutting measure they can use. 
Angela Tressie Heimbach Sunday, April 01, 2012 4:10:14 PM matt shut up, we need to cut costs, I'm sorry, but the smaller companies are and will die off to companies like lifestar and emstar, and hospital based transport. it's just what's happening. grow up and embrace the change, because it's happening whether you like it or not. charging a pt $600 for a f***ing 5-10 mile transport-only call is ridiculous (i'm speaking as a past pt and a certified EMT in PA). 
Brian Duvall Saturday, April 06, 2013 8:40:03 PM Well if it was transport only don't call the ambulance.
Paul Russell Sr Sunday, April 01, 2012 8:20:16 PM we have some people in the goverment that need to hold their breath to save oxygen. the plants would live by not being buried in the bullcrap they are putting out. 
Mel Maguire Sunday, April 01, 2012 10:35:44 PM I have no problem with cancelling staff meetings, but no way am I putting plants on the action counter. I need a place to keep my beer. 
Jake Stein Wednesday, April 04, 2012 4:07:56 PM This is only funny to those in EMS. The thousands of home care oxygen patients who are have had their benefits cut by CMS live with the threat of having their supply discontinued unless they find a way to pay for it themselves aren't laughing at this April fool's joke. EMS is also the one profession that does not participate in advocating for the needs of those in these situation unlike the many other health care professions and their professional associations. 
Tom Mork Friday, April 06, 2012 10:08:54 PM Angela, you didn't pay for what they did for you, you paid for what they where prepared to do for you if you needed it. What needs to be understood is that we are paid for our availability and not our productivity If you didn't need us, maybe you should have took a cab??? If you did need us, we saved your life, quit whinning. We are not a taxi service. Angela Tressie Heimbach Sunday, May 27, 2012 6:11:14 PM I am an emt moron. don't talk to me like I don't understand. Angela Tressie Heimbach Sunday, May 27, 2012 6:11:53 PM Also, yeah, we pretty much are a taxi service anymore.
