A primer on bath salts management

A drug with many names, it's especially hazardous to EMS providers

Adverse reactions to the street drug class known collectively as bath salts pose unique problems for the EMS provider.

The violent behavior associated with its ingestion have been well publicized through viral, online videos. What may not be so obvious to the viewer is the amount of effort public safety providers must exert to control the patient and provide emergency treatment and transport.

While the original formula for bath salts contained methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) or mephedrone, newer mixtures contain a wide variety of unknown, and potentially unrecognized drugs. It's what makes bath salts so dangerous.

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About the author

Jon Puryear, NREMT-P, has been active in EMS since 1983. He has been an active paramedic since 1992 including being an educator and Field Training Officer for several employers. He was the Assistant to the Medical Director for Dr. John Griswell in Ft. Worth, Texas, for EPAB/MedStar EMS and the Education/Clinical Coordinator for CareFlite in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metropolitan area. Jon is the owner of Jon Puryear EMS CE, performing online live streaming and recorded EMS CE classes and refreshers. The live online classes are taught in a virtual instructor-led online live classroom, which allows the student to participate in "real time." These classes may be taken from any computer or iPad/Apple TV with internet access and no travel is required. Many recorded classes are available in his online Learning Management System. Jon performs a 16 hour NREMT prep onsite to initial programs, and also a recorded version online designed to prepare students for their NREMT written examination. You may contact Jon and obtain more information about his services at www.jonpuryear.com.