Prolonged Entrapment
Prolonged entrapment of bariatric patient (Photo Ray Kemp) Photo Ray Kemp
FEATURED IN PATIENT CARE
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- Young Patient is Unresponsive with a Slow Heart Rate
- The Ins and Outs of Apneic Oxygenation
- Understanding Hyponatremia Key to EMS Providers at the Country’s Largest Bicycle Race
St. Charles County (Mo.) Ambulance District paramedics work with Central County Fire Protection District and St. Charles City Fire Department firefighters to extricate a patient who was entrapped for more than 30 minutes after his vehicle was hit and pushed down a highway embankment. The patient showed no visible signs of injury, but his legs were pinned under the dash. Much of the car, including the roof, had to be removed to allow rescuers to free the large, adult patient. Once freed, he was fully immobilized as a precaution and transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital, a Level II trauma center in St. Charles. The driver of the truck, who was not injured, declined treatment. Both occupants of a third vehicle were treated for fractures and transported to the trauma center. This call is also featured on this month’s cover.
This article originally appeared in April 2010 JEMS as "Prolonged Entrapment."
