Substance Use Disorders
This section provides EMS professionals with resources and training focused on identifying, managing and responding to patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). Articles cover recognition of drug and alcohol use in the field, treatment best practices, harm reduction strategies, and the evolving role of EMS in the opioid crisis. Learn how to address provider safety, compassion fatigue and stigma, while improving patient outcomes through evidence-based care and community partnerships.
A national database examining five metrics in evidence-based care gives EMS a framework to improve tactics, efficiency, outcomes and resource allocation
This issue features articles on the opioid epidemic’s impact on responders and how EMS is leading the charge in the post-overdose survival phase of the addiction cycle
Carfentanil has become a key topic for health officials and law enforcement who work to combat this synthetic opioid’s responsibility for addiction and death that continues to rise.
If convicted, he faces more than four years in prison
EMT Donavan Alden, 32, was killed in the March, 2014 head-on collision; less than a month before becoming a paramedic
The state has seen a 13 percent increase since 2012
The spread of the virus is intravenous drug uses; it sparked a CDC alert and the state has spent more than $2 million on efforts to fight the outbreak
There is suspicion within the division that a firefighter or paramedic took the drugs, but officials said nothing has been proven
Responders are administering several doses of Narcan each day, with an influx around the first of the each month
The new potent stimulant, synthetic drug is causing wild, bizarre and violent behaviors in abusers
The powered alcohol was approved the FDA last month but six states have already outlawed it, and about 30 more states are working on legislation that would prohibit sales
The discussion focuses on whether EMS volunteers need the same training as EMTs, and if it makes sense to a separate certification for volunteers.
Cabarrus EMS developed protocols to administer Tranexamic Acid to trauma patients
Flakka is cheap, potent and has been described as the next generation of synthetic drug that has been linked to a string of bizarre, sometimes violent incidents
He and another man were found with 12 grams of meth and a couple grams of cocaine following a traffic stop
He’s charged with stealing blank prescription pads from 8 doctors to get $20,000 worth of drugs for himself and 2 family members
Hosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson debate whether benzodiazepines are the best treatment options, and discuss dosage
4 intoxicated patient assessment reminders for EMS providers
The federal agency had approved the product — brand name Palcohol — for sale last spring but rescinded the approval saying it had been made in error
Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas suspected his friend had overdosed following the charge; he began chest compressions and called 911
Medics reported finding residue on and punctures in vials of Dilaudid during daily inspections
The synthetic cannabinoid, also known as “Spice,” mimics the effects of marijuana
He was pulled over twice while off-duty, the first time with a blood-alcohol content of 0.125 percent, and his license was suspended
She struggled to cope after serving as an army medic in Iraq, and speaks openly about her drug addiction to raise public awareness
He was stabilized from the overdose but allowed to enter a hospital restroom alone, and died from a self-inflicted knife wound
The crew was attacked by the patient first and later the patient’s sister
Autopsy reports acute cocaine toxicity, bruises from baton strikes, TASER use, and body weight restraint before cardiac arrest and request for ambulance
Responders believe an informational packet with recovery resources, along with a home outreach program, will help addicts recover
A report by state investigators concluded the “viability of the IV access point” led to difficulty in administering a new lethal drug combination; the inmate died from a heart attack
A neighbor discovered an abandoned baby in a car seat; the mother had been arrested for a DUI and the father was inside sleeping
Tranexamic acid has been used in trauma centers for years, and the drug is making its way into the prehospital setting
A 70 percent price hike has advocates worried it will limit the amount of narcan departments can afford to purchase
Man was fired from EMT job as soon as accusation of stealing patient’s medications, captured on surveillance video, was made
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