Note: This article is in response to West End, Pennsylvania Ambulance Services’ ‘One Breath From Death’ Campaign which NeuroEMS.com considers to be unscientific and unethical. Click here to learn more. Here’s what you need to know: 1. The initial decision to take drugs is usually voluntary and people make this choice for various reasons such as […]

10:10 in the AM. You respond to a 34 year-old-male c/o possible CVA. Upon arrival you find him seated in his apartment living room surrounded by two friends. He is alert and appears anxious. He tells you he was perfectly fine when he went to bed last night at around 11 PM. This is his […]

15-30% of strokes are cardioembolic and 60-90% of stroke patients present with ECG abnormalities. (Source) So let me ask you some questions. Is it important to obtain a 12 lead ECG during a suspected acute stroke in the prehospital setting? Why? Why not? Does it really matter either way? Before we discuss the answer… Here’s the abnormalities you’re likely to […]

So let’s take a look at a case which Tom Bouthillet from the EMS 12 Lead blog posted and assess it from a neuro perspective. Let’s start by reviewing his post. Let’s approach the case in a linear fashion (I’ve bolded certain elements of interest): This gentlemen was perfectly normal until he walked outside, lost his balance and fell, […]