Allergic Reaction and No Epi Pen!

Posted on March 8th, 2011 by Roy Shaw

I received another email from a person asking: “What are basic first aid measures for a serious allergic reaction if there is no epi pen available? I watched your training video in your library at ProFirstAid.com but I can’t seem to find an answer.”

Thanks for your answer,
C

Thanks for the question C. I thought this was a good question and a situation which no one wants to find themselves. So I decided to reply back and include it into the RoyOnRescue.com blog response. I hope it helps.

Here’s my reply:

Dear C,

Other than immediately calling EMS/911, if at all possible, let the person rest in position of comfort.
Some of the things that are indicated for first aid providers are:

1. Watch for signs and symptoms of severe allergic reactions like difficulty breathing, itching, hives, swelling, sore throat, anxiety.

2. Remove victim from anything that would aggravate or worsen the symptoms.

3. Give supportive care like rescue breathing, CPR, shock treatment etc when indicated.

4. If at all possible, identify what it is that gave the person their serious allergic reaction and avoid any further exposure to it.

This is not a prescription but simply something that I would do. I always like to have liquid diphenhydramine(Benadryl like antihistimine) on hand that can be taken as prescribed on the container or per doctors order. If I did not have a prescription for a “rescue inhaler” like albuterol or didn’t have an allergy response kit prescribed and filled from my doctor I would really emphasize doing so, and then keeping it up to date as the epi pen and other medications could expire and be useless.

Remember, recognizing the early signs of an allergic reaction and activating EMS/911 as soon as possible is critical. Time is of the essence. Oh! And if you think you may have an allergy, or have ever had a severe allergic reaction, you should be sure to contact your medical professional and get a filled prescription for an emergency allergic reaction kit, AKA: bee sting kit.

I hope this helps, and best wishes.

Roy

Liquid Antihistimine Benadryl

Tags: 911, airway, allergic reaction, allergic without epi pen, allergy, allergy emergency, antihistimines, Asthma, benadryl, Difficulty Breathing, diphenhydramine, EMS, no epi pen, severe allergic reaction, treatment for allergic reaction, what to do without an epi pen

2010 AHA Updates From Chicago

Posted on November 15th, 2010 by Roy Shaw

Hi Everyone,

I’m here at the 2010 American Heart Association instructor conference hosted at the McCormick Place. It was a wonderful weekend in the “Windy City” and worked out well for Jody Marvi(ProTrainings.com Compliance and Accreditation Manager) and I to attend the new guideline roll-out for BLS, ACLS, PALS and NeoNatal Resuscitation. I’m glad to announce that in the end, I don’t see any serious issues to any of the latest guidelines for resuscitation. I was afraid there was going to be some changes that were going to cause ethical issues for end of life issues but thankfully to the best of my knowledge, this didn’t materialize for 2010. So take a peek and let me know what you think of the latest ECC/ILCOR recommendations for resuscitation.

Tags: 2010 Assessment Guidelines, 2010 CPR Guidelines Emergency Response Activation, AHA conference Mccormick place, airway, American Heart Association Chicago Conference, assessment, breathing, Chicago AHA conference, Chicago AHA gidelines, Chicago CPR conference, circulation, CPR, CPR Conference in Chicago, New AHA chicago conference, New CPR Guidelines, new video updates, on site video shoot, procpr.org, ProFirstAid.com

Snake Bites Part 2 of 2

Posted on April 21st, 2010 by Roy Shaw

In Part 1 of Snake Bites we talked about the different kinds of poisonous snakes that pose a risk for serious danger. Remember we were talking about an Emergency Responder who who had emailed me? She helps out with California High Desert Racing and the medical response team and is having some issues with Poisonous snake bites and 35-45 minute response times. This due to being so far away from civilization. In part 1 of this response video blog, we took a look at the different types of rattlesnakes that are causing problems, how they might kill a person and how we as rescuers could make the difference between life and death. In this second part, we will get to the bottom of the correct treatment strategy in order to save a snake bite victims life and limb.

Tags: airway, anaphylaxis, antivenin, antivenom, Australian Wrap, Australian Wrap for snake bite, breathing, california desert racing, California Snake Bites, Copperhead Rattlesnakes, CPR, desert rattlers, Desert Rescue, first aid, firstaid, High Desert racing, how to survive a snake bite, Mojave Rattle Snakes, Pit Vipers, Poisonous snake attacks, procpr.org, ProFirstAid.com, Sawyer Snake bite kit, Snake bite first aid, Snake Bites, wilderness medicine

Snake Bites Part 1 of 2

Posted on April 21st, 2010 by Roy Shaw

An Emergency Responder who helps out with California High Desert Races is having some issues with Poisonous Snake Bites and slow response times due to being so far away from civilization. In this response video blog, we take a look at the different types of rattlesnakes that are causing problems, how they might kill a person and how we as rescuers could make the difference between life and death.

Tags: airway, anaphylaxis, antivenin, antivenom, Australian Wrap, Australian Wrap for snake bite, breathing, california desert racing, California Snake Bites, Copperhead Rattlesnakes, CPR, desert rattlers, Desert Rescue, first aid, firstaid, High Desert racing, how to survive a snake bite, Mojave Rattle Snakes, Pit Vipers, Poisonous snake attacks, procpr.org, ProFirstAid.com, Sawyer Snake bite kit, Snake bite first aid, Snake Bites, wilderness medicine

Agonal Respirations Kind Of Look Like Sleep Apnea!

Posted on March 29th, 2010 by Roy Shaw

As I reflected on yesterdays video blog; “Gasping for Life”, I thought I should expound on what real agonal respirations really are and maybe even find some examples for you to see or hear.   Well, let me tell you this has turned out to be more difficult than I imagined.   As I searched the internet for some medical records of what I have seen during episodes of agonal respirations all I could find was one well intentioned but non realistic version of agonal respirations while everything else was simply informational.   I then began thinking about the times I had seen low blood sugar patients or postictal seizure patients and thought…I bet a good snoring respiration would be close!

After some time, I found an actual serious sleep apnea(OSA) case and thought I would include the link in the video blog for you to see.   Though this is not exactly what agonal respirations look or sound like, it is a far cry closer than other replications I found and will at least get the idea across that any form of agonal or distressed drive to breath is not oxygenating the body well and should be treated with Rescue Breathing or Full CPR depending on the symptoms.

I hope this helps clear up any confusion and please let me know if you would like me to expound on anything else relating to this video blog.

Best Wishes,
Roy Shaw, EMT-P

RoyOnRescue.com

Actual Video Of Sleep Apnea (Warning! This video could be disturbing.  Viewer discretion advised.)

Tags: agonal respirations, airway, can sleep apnea kill you, CPR, dieing from sleep apnea, Difficulty Breathing, OSA, rescue breathing, Severe Snoring, Sleep Apnea, What to do for sleep apnea

What To Do If A Person Falls and Hits Their Head

Posted on February 17th, 2010 by Roy Shaw

A concerned Good Samaritan(G.S.) wrote me a question and I thought it would be good to share it with you on RoyOnRescue(ROR).

G.S.: “In my scenario, the person fell down hit their head twice and then fell onto the floor face down. I am now wondering if we did the right thing. We picked the person up and carried her outside for fresh air where she revived immediately. We  then monitored the person but nothing else seemed to be wrong with her.”

ROR:  It sounds like the story ends well regardless of the treatment given which is always great!  There may be a few things that we cold improve upon for the future. Let’s analyze what happened and what we might be able to do differently next time to protect and help the fall victim even more.

Whenever a person falls, there is a risk for head and neck injury. As stated in your scenario, this particular person did  hit their head… twice.  This would be enough mechanism of injury that instead of moving the person right away, we would want to minimize movement while assessing the person for any signs or symptoms of other injuries.  We can minimize movement by softly but confidently speaking to the patient who is either conscious or unconscious and place one hand carefully on the victims forehead to help remind them and us not to move their head and neck.   Try to find out  if the person is breathing on their own and if their skin color is somewhat normal while they are lying in the position found. If they are breathing and skin color is good, we do not have to move the person before Emergency Medical Services arrive.

If assessing the person’s airway is impossible in this position,(face down) we may need to carefully roll the person over onto their back even if we suspect that there may be a serious neck or back injury.  We do not move spinal chord injury patients unless they need cpr, their airway is compromised or they are in danger due to the environment.

If we determine that we must roll, or move a person with a suspected spinal chord injury, utilize several people if available,  in order to minimization spinal movement.  If you are the only person, then do the job the best way you can and follow the “Life Over Limb” philosophy.  If the person wakes and is not complaining of any pain or numbness and they don’t allow you to minimize movement because they want to get up, they should be allowed to do so.  It is not wise to hold the person down as this can complicate injuries the patient already sustained trying to wrestle.  Keep encouraging the person to stay still until help arrives by the ambulance service. Keep the person in a position of comfort with confident words of encouragement like, you are in good hands, I’m going to take good care of you and help is on the way.  If they still refuse treatment, there is little you can do at that point other than inform  911 of what has happened.

It sounds as though you did the best you could for this person at the time.  Remember,  most people don’t even get involved when someone needs help.  The fact that you did get involved and tried to help makes you a natural rescuer!

I thought a video clip of all different fainting episodes would not only get my point across that falls can cause injuries to the person even if the fainting spell or the reason they fell wasn’t serious. I hope you don’t feel faint watching others faint but if you want to see what happens to people when they fall from standing up, take a look at the clip below.

P.S. One of the most effective rescue moves for a person who is starting to faint, is to simply help them to the floor before they fall!

Best Wishes,

Roy On Rescue

Tags: airway, assessment, breathing, circulation, Fainting, Falls, head hitting floor, head injuries, head injury, how to help falls, neck injury, ProCPR, ProFirstAid, ProHomeSafety, spinal chord injury from falls, stop falls