Hands On January 2012

Educational Insights Eggspert Wireless 2.4 gHz

After spending all those years being told to sit still, be quiet and listen in class, it’s now become popular to play games in the classroom. “Jeopardy” has been a popular model to use for reviewing didactic information for years with the host writing the answers and the students tasked with buzzing in first and responding with the appropriate question. The Eggspert Wireless 2.4 gHz from Educational Insights provides the EMS educator with a fun and high-tech way to educate and entertain their students. It features a color-coded display for up to six participants, six egg-shaped buttons and a remote to reset the board. The first student to “ring in” causes the corresponding light to blink and locks out the other buzzers. A switch on the teacher remote sets the time to answer from five to 30 seconds. A “Wheel of Fortune” mode on the control also allows the instructor to “spin” the lights to pick a random student. A series of switches on the teacher remote actually allows the teacher to “pick” which color the “random” spin will stop on providing the opportunity to keep all students engaged. VITALS
Players: Up to six
Modes: Two
Power: Display: 4 AA, Teacher Remote: Three AAA
Student buzzer: Two AAA
Price: $99.99
www.educationalinsights.com
888/800-7893

Fastrack Medical Solutions LLC FastBreathe Thoracic Seal (FTS)

Penetrating thoracic trauma can create several life-threatening conditions. Patients can’t breathe when air is coming through the chest wall and not the trachea. Sealing the wound often fixes only part of the problem. Closing an open pneumothorax can cause an even deadlier tension pneumothorax. The FastBreathe Thoracic Seal (FTS) from Fastrack Medical Solutions LLC has a low-profile, one-way valve that allows air to be expelled with minimal pressure. A unique adhesive creates an occlusive seal, which bonds aggressively to wet, bloody and dirty skin without damaging the skin when it’s removed. The adhesive is so unique that the FTS can be removed and reapplied with complete adhesion to the skin. VITALS
Dimensions: 6" x 6"
Valve Diameter: 1"
Color: White
Price: $16.50
www.fasttrackmedicalsolutions.com
866/403-5276

Informed Pocket Guides

Paper or plastic, boxers or briefs, old school or new school, printed field guide or smartphone app? These are some of the choices EMS workers deal with every day. Back in the day, lots of EMTs and paramedics carried an Informed printed pocket guide as a reference for common patient medications, treatment algorithms and pharmacology. As technology has improved, so have the resources available to field providers, such as the electronic version of the Pocket Guides by Informed. The latest updates to this popular product line also bring them into compliance with the "2010 American Heart Association Guidelines for CPR & ECC" for both the printed and smartphone app versions. In addition to medications, pharmacology and algorithms, the new versions include a revised Spanish section, clear ECG rhythm images and updated pediatric medications. VITALS
Versions: BLS, ALS, Critical Care, Peds, NIMS
Pet Apps: iPhone, Android, Nook Color, Honeycomb
App Price: $7.99
Print Price: $14.95–21.95
www.informedguides.com
888/624-8014

Physio-Control Inc. ReadyLink 12-Lead ECG

A patient with a STEMI needs to get to a cardiac cath lab as soon as possible. If your system is primarily BLS, you may not be always be able to depend on ALS to be available to interpret a 12-lead ECG. This may cause your service to miss patients with STEMIs who should be transported to a cath lab. The ReadyLink 12-Lead ECG from Physio-Control Inc. provides BLS services with the means to identify STEMIs in the field and ensure transport to a STEMI center. BLS providers need to be trained in lead placement and 12-lead acquisition, but the final interpretation is left up to a physician connected to Physio-Control’s LIFENET System. The ReadyLink 12-Lead ECG unit has a keyboard and display for patient data entry, and the screen displays the ECG. VITALS
Dimensions: 12" x 5" x 9.75"
Weight: 4.5 lbs.
Frequency Response: 0.5–300 Hz
Power: Eight-hour lithium-ion
Price: $7,499
www.physio-control.com
800/442-1142

Statgear S3 Stat Tape Holder

EMTs and paramedics use tape every day. The standard 1" medical tape is used to secure dressings, IV lines, endotracheal tubes and splints. Many providers like to keep a roll handy by securing it to their stethoscope. Unfortunately, this handy roll of tape may bump against your stethoscope when you’re trying to assess blood pressure, lung sounds and heart sounds, making patient assessments more difficult. The S3 Stat Tape Holder from Statgear incorporates a plastic set screw to quietly secure a 1” roll of tape to your stethoscope for easy use. The tape roll spins easily and can be removed or replaced quickly. VITALS
Weight: 1 oz.
Colors: Melena black, epistaxis red, cyanotic blue, septic green
and frothy pink
Price: $5.99
www.statgeartools.com

Xtreme Green Products IncThe Sentinel PMV

EMS is frequently tasked with providing coverage in unique venues and situations. Large public gatherings present a challenge to responders trying to maneuver through the crowd so they can get help to where it’s needed. Regular ambulances are hard to maneuver through a crowd, golf carts are frequently under-powered and too low to the ground, and bicycles can leave the crew winded if the venue is large or hilly. The Sentinel PMV from Xtreme Green Products Inc. is a three-wheeled, electric stand-up chariot that’s designed to move you through crowds easily and is designed to fit through a standard width doorway. And if the futuristic, stealth fighter-esque profile doesn’t attract enough attention, the Sentinel PMV is outfitted with flashing LED emergency lights and a full-power siren to move the crowd out of your way. VITALS
Range: 80 miles
Top Speed: 29 mph
Weight: 375 lbs.
Width: 34" (fits through most doorways)
Price: $8,995
www.xgpinc.com
888/987-0909

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Current Diagnosis & Treatment Emergency Medicine (7th ed.)
By C. Keith Stone & Roger L. Humphries
This textbook is designed to facilitate easy location and review of key topics related to emergency medicine. The 50 chapters are presented in appropriate order related to topic and importance of information, and they chapters address key components in emergency medicine that introduce the topic, explain important learning points in subcategories, emphasize rationale for procedures and understanding of concepts and include a summary where appropriate.
The intended audience for this text ranges from prehospital care providers to physicians. It emphasizes emergency care procedures provided in the emergency department (ED) and also provides insight and understanding for all healthcare providers participating in patient care. Although patient care is a team approach and effort, this text allows healthcare provider of all levels to understand rationales for procedures, thought processes involved with care decisions and how to perform certain procedures. Comparison to Similar Texts
A review of comparable and similar texts reveals consistent quality and relevance of content. Both this and Tintinalli’s Emergency Medicine (7th ed.) provide an overview of topics and categories, introduce important procedures and provide rationale to support the importance of understanding the material. Both provide figures and pictures to clarify and identify key concepts.

Although Tintinalli’s Emergency Medicine (7th ed.) seems more comprehensive and written for readers at the physician level, Current Diagnosis & Treatment Emergency Medicine, (7th ed.) is written at a level that is easier for healthcare providers at all levels to read and comprehend; this is a big selling point because it expands the audience.

I noted that Current Diagnosis & Treatment Emergency Medicine (7th ed.) provides a broader introduction and overview of topics that pertain to emergency medicine, allowing the reader to navigate through the material from a basic overview to detailed relevant information about the emergency topic being presented. Conclusion
Overall, this textbook was easy to read and provided emphasis on topics at an appropriate level within 1,009 pages. As a healthcare provider and educator, I found the information contained in this text was relevant, insightful and easy to locate within the table of contents, index and within each chapter. —By David L. Sullivan, PhD, NREMT-P, NCEE