{"id":276848,"date":"2025-09-29T18:58:02","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T18:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-southcoast-health-multi.southcoast-health.org\/?page_id=276848"},"modified":"2026-08-26T07:59:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T12:59:45","slug":"ems-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/pt\/ems-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Profissionais de EMS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"hero-secondary-block\">\n    <div class=\"background\" style=\"background-color: #E9F7F4\"><\/div>\n    <div class=\"container\">\n        <div class=\"grid\">\n            <div class=\"col-bleed-y\">\n                <div class=\"grid intro-text\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"corner-art\" src=\"https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/wp-content\/themes\/southcoast_multisite\/images\/herobasic-corner-art.png\" alt=\"corner art\">\n                    <div class=\"col-md-9\">\n                                                                                                    <h1>EMS Professionals<\/h1>\n                                                                            <div class=\"copy\">\n                                <p>Welcome to the Southcoast Health website for EMS information and events.<\/p>\n                            <\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n                    \n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"image\">\n                                            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hero-img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Southcoast-Health-Branded-Ambulance-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\">\n                                    <\/div>\n                                    <!-- Mobile Dropdown -->\n                    <div class=\"jump-nav-mobile\">\n                        <p>Jump to Content<\/p>\n                        <select>\n                            <option value=\"\">Select Section<\/option>\n                                                                                                <option value=\"http:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/ems#lectures\">\n                                        Click Here for Upcoming Lectures                                    <\/option>\n                                                                                    <\/select>\n                        <i class=\"fal fa-angle-down\"><\/i>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <!-- Desktop Links -->\n                    <div class=\"jump-nav-desktop\">\n                        <nav class=\"jump-nav-wrap\" aria-label=\"Jump to sections\">\n                            <div class=\"inner\">\n                                                                                                            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/ems#lectures\"\n                                            >\n                                            Click Here for Upcoming Lectures                                        <\/a>\n                                                                                                <\/div>\n                        <\/nav>\n                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div  class=\"blockSettings  paddingTopSM paddingBottomNone copyFullFluid light\" style=\"\">\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"grid\">\n            \t\t\t<div class=\"copyFullWrap bg-white\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-12\">\n                    <div class=\"maincopy \">\n                        <h3><strong>Memos &amp; News<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div data-olk-copy-source=\"MailCompose\">\n<h4>Protocol updates for 2026<\/h4>\n<p><em>Posted March 25, 2026<\/em><br \/>\nMany Massachusetts EMS protocols that used to require separate approval to use are, as of June 2026, being folded into regular protocol. This will be a lot less paperwork and hassle for all of us.<\/p>\n<p>Below is a list of the remaining optional protocols. Note that <b>all ALS optional protocols<\/b>, if you wish to access them, do <b>require 100% QA. <\/b><\/p>\n<p>The BLS options I would approve automatically upon your request. Each of the ALS options requires a separate discussion first, and I have high-lighted in <strong><em>bold<\/em><\/strong> those that would, frankly, only be approved for services willing to make major training and QA commitments.<\/p>\n<p>I would strongly encourage services to consider accessing the buprenorphine for acute withdrawal protocol. For the June EMS rounds, we&#8217;ll review the protocol changes and the pros and cons of all of these options.<\/p>\n<p>MEDICAL DIRECTOR OPTIONAL PROTOCOLS<\/p>\n<p><b>BLS<\/b><\/p>\n<p>6.3 Glucagon for Hypoglycemia<br \/>\n6.5 12-lead ECG Acquisition and Transmission<br \/>\n6.6 Leave-Behind Naloxone<\/p>\n<p><b>ALS<br \/>\n<\/b><em><strong>6.1 Needle cric*<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\n<em><strong>6.2 Surgical cric<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\n6.4 Withholding and Cessation of Resuscitation*<br \/>\n<strong><em>6.7 Ultrasound use by paramedics<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><em>6.8 Automated transport ventilators<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<em><strong>6.9 Oral antipsychotics<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\n<em><strong>6.10 IV nitro for acute pulmonary edema<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\n6.11 buprenorphine for opioid withdrawal*<br \/>\n<strong><em>6.12 antibiotics for sepsis patients<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><em>6.13 low titer O+ whole blood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><i>* although protocol does not specify, there is still a 100% QA requirement<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<h4>Crane will be in front of ED on Friday, should not be a factor for ambulance traffic<\/h4>\n<p><em>Posted March 25, 2026<\/em><br \/>\nA crane will be set up by the emergency department entrance for most of the day on Friday, March 27. <span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">Public Safety officers have been assigned to direct both vehicle and pedestrian traffic throughout the operation. There should be no impact to ambulance services.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>St. Luke&#8217;s EMS door repairs for next week<\/h4>\n<p><em>Posted February 10, 2026<\/em><br \/>\nThe ambulance entrance at St. Luke&#8217;s is being repaired, and ambulances will use the door to the right of the current EMS entrance (as facing the hospital) for the next 3-5 days. The door code key pad is the same, and hospital security will be on hand to help with any entrance issues.<\/p>\n<div class=\"_n_p3\">\n<div class=\"conductorContent\" role=\"presentation\">\n<div id=\"primaryContainer\" class=\"_n_e\">\n<div class=\"conductorContent\" role=\"presentation\">\n<div class=\"_n_T\">\n<div class=\"_n_X\" role=\"main\" aria-label=\"Mail\">\n<div class=\"_n_X\">\n<div class=\"_n_X\">\n<div class=\"_n_Y\">\n<div class=\"allowTextSelection\" role=\"document\">\n<div class=\"conductorContent\" role=\"presentation\">\n<div class=\"_mcp_T2 _mcp_W2\">\n<div class=\"_mcp_U2 _mcp_W2 scrollContainer _mcp_Y2\">\n<div class=\"_mcp_93\" role=\"region\">\n<div class=\"_mcp_d1 ms-border-color-neutralLight\">\n<div class=\"_mcp_e1 ms-bg-color-white\">\n<div class=\"_mcp_z1 ms-border-color-themeTertiary\">\n<div class=\"_mcp_22\">\n<div class=\"_z_41 ms-bg-color-white\">\n<div class=\"allowTextSelection _mcp_32 customScrollBar ms-bg-color-white ms-font-color-black owa-font-compose\" dir=\"ltr\" role=\"textbox\" aria-label=\"Message body\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<h4>Stroke Point-of-Entry Updates<\/h4>\n<p><em>Posted January 15, 2026<\/em><br \/>\nMassachusetts has updated stroke care protocols to indicate that a patient with severe stroke-like symptoms (a <strong>FAST-ED score of 6<\/strong> or more), who is also outside of the time window for thrombolytic eligibility (symptom onset <strong>between 4 and 24 hours<\/strong>), should go to the closest endovascular-capable stroke center, possibly by-passing closer hospitals, as long as this creates <strong>no more than 30 minutes<\/strong> of additional travel time. In our region, the closest endovascular-capable stroke center is Rhode Island Hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Patients with stroke-like symptoms <strong>of any severity<\/strong> who were last known well <strong>less than 4 hours ago<\/strong> must come to the closest designated stroke-care hospital, as they may be eligible for \/ benefit from emergent thrombolytics.<\/p>\n<p>Paramedics should consider the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Patients with a FAST-ED of 6 or higher may have a large-vessel occlusion stroke, and particularly for &#8220;wake-up&#8221; strokes and other cases not eligible for thrombolytics, a rapid trip to a neuro cath lab may be life-saving.<\/li>\n<li>A high FAST-ED score is an imperfect screening test: Patients with head bleeds, and with small-vessel strokes in important territories of the brain, can also present with high FAST-ED scores.<\/li>\n<li>A completely obtunded or unresponsive patient can&#8217;t have a FAST-ED score calculated. The score is to be calculated when there is clinical suspicion for stroke, not for every altered mental status patient.<\/li>\n<li>Southcoast hospitals (Charlton, Tobey and St. Luke&#8217;s) have close working relationships with Rhode Island Hospital and its neuro-interventional teams, and our hospitals have protocols in place to rapidly identify and transfer patient to endovascular-capable hospitals when they turn out to have large-vessel occlusions.<\/li>\n<li>You can always consult with on-line medical control about point-of-entry questions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-284005\" src=\"https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-15-at-08.49.48-204x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"318\" height=\"468\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-15-at-08.49.48-204x300.png 204w, https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-15-at-08.49.48-698x1024.png 698w, https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-15-at-08.49.48-768x1127.png 768w, https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-15-at-08.49.48-8x12.png 8w, https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-15-at-08.49.48.png 932w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 318px) 100vw, 318px\" \/><\/h4>\n<h4>Educational Rounds Requirements for EMT-Basics<\/h4>\n<p><em>Posted June 30, 2025<\/em><br \/>\nParamedics \/ ALS providers who are credentialed with St. Luke&#8217;s for EMS medical direction have long been required to attend 5 educational rounds per year. EMT-Basics \/ BLS providers have always been invited and welcome, but until now, there has been no specific attendance requirement. The state authorities are now asking that we specific an attendance requirement, and so <strong>starting in 2026<\/strong>, we will require EMT-Basics \/ BLS providers to attend <strong>two educational rounds<\/strong> per year.<\/p>\n<p>Documented educational rounds at other venues can be accepted in many cases, but at least 2 for paramedics and at least 1 for EMT-Basics should be at St. Luke&#8217;s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Med Control Phone Numbers at St. Luke&#8217;s and Charlton Memorial<br \/>\n<\/strong><em style=\"font-size: revert;color: initial;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif\">Posted November 19, 2024<\/em><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Please note the following preferred, recorded phone lines for calling for medical control:<\/div>\n<div><em>St. Luke&#8217;s<\/em> 508-973-5060<br \/>\n<em>Charlton<\/em> 508-973-7040<strong>Trauma Point-of-Entry Criteria for Massachusetts<br \/>\n<\/strong><em style=\"font-size: revert;color: initial;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif\">Posted November 19, 2024<\/em><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>For reference, the state&#8217;s trauma field triage criteria and point-of-entry guidances can be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/doc\/trauma-field-triage-and-statewide-point-of-entry-plan-0\/download\">found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Trauma Pre-Notifications at St. Luke&#8217;s<br \/>\n<\/strong><em style=\"font-size: revert;color: initial;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif\">Posted November 19, 2024<\/em><\/div>\n<p>For reference, a useful template for making trauma center pre-notification calls.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Regional EMS Educational Opportunity<br \/>\n<\/strong><em style=\"font-size: revert;color: initial;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif\">Posted November 6, 2024<\/em><\/div>\n<p>A full-day symposium on the dangers of illicit narcotics will be held at Gillette Stadium on <strong>Friday, November 15.<\/strong> It is organized by Massachusetts state public safety offices, and attendance for Massachusetts EMTs, paramedics, fire fighters, law officers and health officials is free. EMTs and paramedics who provide evidence of attendance can count this event against one of their in-person rounds. Details can be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/deadly-white-powder-a-symposium-on-illicit-narcotics-tickets-925582320637\">found here.<\/a><\/p>\n<h4>IV Fluids Shortage<\/h4>\n<p><em>Posted October 8, 2024<\/em><br \/>\nBecause of supply chain disruptions, hospitals and EMS systems throughout the country are facing shortfalls of normal saline and lactated Ringer&#8217;s solutions. Prehospital providers should thus use IV fluids even more judiciously then usual.<\/p>\n<p>Obviously, for a severely dehydrated or septic patient, IV fluid bolus therapy should be used when it is available. But for softer indications \u2014 for example, patients reporting <em>subjective<\/em> dehydration with stable vitals, or patients with hyperglycemia with stable vitals \u2014 it is reasonable to defer decisions about IV fluids to the hospitals. (This remains at the discretion of the treating paramedic, of course.) When possible, it may also be wise to avoid preemptively spiking bags of IV fluids before decisions have been made to use them.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Review of Regional Points of Entry<br \/>\n<\/strong><em style=\"font-size: revert;color: initial;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif\">Posted December 13, 2023<\/em><\/div>\n<p>Given the emergency closure of part of the Rhode Island Washington Bridge, ambulances in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts may at times be facing delays in accessing hospital care in Providence.<\/p>\n<p>This could at times limit access to critical services in our region, including cardiac and neuro interventional services, and pediatric and adult trauma and critical care services.<\/p>\n<p>The 911 services in the western part of the South Coast region (of Rhode Island or Massachusetts) may thus be reaching out in real time to either Charlton Memorial or St. Luke&#8217;s to discuss whether we can be an alternative point-of-entry for a given case; or whether they should instead either call a field helicopter, or continue on to Providence or Boston despite long travel times.<\/p>\n<p>This will have to be decided on a case-by-case basis, in real time, with the help of an online (radio or telephone) medical control physician. For now, existing point-of-entry plans are the default for 911 ambulances in both states.<\/p>\n<div><strong><br \/>\nMed Control phone line numbers.<br \/>\n<\/strong><em style=\"font-size: revert;color: initial;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif\">Posted December 6, 2023<\/em><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/div>\n<p>To call on the phone (as opposed to the radio) for medical control, use these numbers:<\/p>\n<p>St. Luke&#8217;s medical control phone: <b>888-959-7199<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Charlton Memorial&#8217;s medical control phone: <b>844-486-7237<\/b><\/p>\n<p>If you have a 508 area code number for either of these phones, please delete it and replace it with these numbers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>QA Pearls: O2 use, low-acuity MCIs, cardiac arrest with invalid DNRs<br \/>\n<\/strong><em style=\"font-size: revert;color: initial;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif\">Posted March 11, 2023<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Please share broadly the following observations, which come from the ongoing\u00a0review process for\u00a0our\u00a0EMS calls:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Oxygen therapy:<\/b>\u00a0This should only be initiated for patients with hypoxia by pulse ox. It should not be put on &#8220;for comfort,&#8221; or to treat distress. It should also not be dialed up for those reasons when pulse oximetry is already in the mid-90s or higher.<br \/>\n<b><br \/>\n<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Low-acuity school bus accidents:<\/b>\u00a0In an ideal world, if\u00a0a school bus\u00a0gets in a fender-bender\u00a0but\u00a0the\u00a0children on board have no complaints, EMS would not even be called. That said, EMS\u00a0<i>is called,<\/i>\u00a0always &#8212;\u00a0and what&#8217;s worse, the\u00a0state\u00a0(departments of public health and of education) can&#8217;t agree on a protocol for allowing EMS to\u00a0medically clear students with no injuries. So here is the St. Luke&#8217;s protocol for this:\n<ul>\n<li>If possible, bring the entire bus and\u00a0<u>leave the students on the bus.<\/u><\/li>\n<li>The St. Luke&#8217;s ER will do quick medical\u00a0screenings; and will work with the school to make sure each child is picked up by an authorized family member.<\/li>\n<li>If a minor injury is identified, we leave it to the family to decide if they want to check in formally\u00a0&#8212; i.e., if they want to be billed for\u00a0a full ER\u00a0visit and evaluation<\/li>\n<li>All of this only applies to minor events with minor to no injuries &#8212;\u00a0if a particular child suffers something more serious, that should be treated like a typical EMS call, perhaps\u00a0with separate ambulance transport.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>CPR when we can&#8217;t find the DNR:<\/b>\u00a0Protocol allows (in fact, mandates) for EMS to forego or cease resuscitation efforts in cardiac arrest when the patient has a valid DNR. But it often happens that\u00a0family say the patient wanted to be DNR but can&#8217;t produce valid paperwork. In these cases, it is reasonable to continue CPR while simultaneously calling\u00a0medical control. The med control physician can review the data available and make a ruling about whether the code should be called or continued.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Stroke Alert at St. Luke&#8217;s if TLKW &lt; 24 Hours; Goes Straight to Hallway by CT Scanner<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em style=\"font-size: revert;color: initial;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif\">Posted October 13, 2022<br \/>\n<\/em>Stroke care at St. Luke&#8217;s Hospital is already solid, but in cooperation with our new director of stroke care, Dr. Sacchetti, and a dedication to do better, the emergency department asks the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Please call a stroke alert on patients meeting criteria when the time last known well (TLKW) is <b>within 24 hours.<\/b> This is a new criteria.<\/li>\n<li>Please expect the charge RN to send you towards <strong>the CT scanner hallway<\/strong>, where a doctor should meet you for <strong>a quick assessment<\/strong> prior to transferring the patient from <strong>EMS cot to CT scan<\/strong> table.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Thank you for all of your hard work in prehospital care. Please inform your supervisors or me of any pitfalls you find with this workflow.<\/p>\n<h4>Greater Fall River\/New Bedford EMS Conference October 28<\/h4>\n<p><em>Posted October 6, 2022<\/em><br \/>\nThe <a href=\"http:\/\/gfremscc.org\/greater-fall-river-new-bedford-ems-conference\/\">Greater Fall River\/New Bedford EMS Conference<\/a> will be held at White&#8217;s of Westport on October 28, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please note that the educational opportunities at the conference can count for up to two of the St. Luke&#8217;s EMS educational rounds requirements.<\/p>\n<h4>12-Lead ECG Competency<\/h4>\n<p><em>Posted July 19, 2022<\/em><br \/>\nThe Office of EMS has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/doc\/advisory-21-09-01-ensuring-paramedic-competency-in-12-lead-ecg-interpretation\/download\">recently reiterated<\/a> the long-standing expectation that all paramedics must demonstrate written and practical competency in obtaining, interpreting and acting upon 12-lead ECGs. Every paramedic credentialed with St. Luke&#8217;s for medical direction passes a 12-lead ECG exam at on-boarding. (If you are not sure as a paramedic if you did this, ask your supervisor, or you can also reach out to the St. Luke&#8217;s EMS coordinator, Brian Giorgianni, at giorgiannib@southcoast.org.) Moreover: In order for a medical director <em>to keep<\/em> a paramedic credentialed, the state requires we ensure that the paramedic re-demonstrate these competencies every 2 years. This is again something that is generally organized in-house at an ambulance \/ EMS company, with trainings and \/ or tests that have been signed off on by the medical director. Please review <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/doc\/advisory-21-09-01-ensuring-paramedic-competency-in-12-lead-ecg-interpretation\/download\">the state&#8217;s expectations<\/a> and reach out to St. Luke&#8217;s medical direction team if any questions.<\/p>\n<h4>Educational Rounds Requirements for 2022<\/h4>\n<p><em>Posted July 19, 2022<\/em><br \/>\nPlease note that all EMS personnel who get medical direction from Southcoast will be expected to meet the usual educational rounds requirements in 2022 in order to stay credentialed. Those requirements were relaxed in 2020 and 2021 in recognition of COVID-19-associated disruptions. At this point, however, educational opportunities are back on line &#8212; monthly lectures have been available all year with the exception of our usual July-August break, and will resume in September (schedule to follow soon). The usual requirement for a provider to remain credentialed is to attend 5 educational rounds events annually. Documented educational rounds at other venues can be accepted but at least 2 should be at St. Luke&#8217;s.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dinner Honoring EMS on May 17<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Posted May 12, 2022<\/em><br \/>\nSouthcoast is inviting our EMS colleagues to a dinner on Tuesday, May 17, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lafrancehospitality.com\/destinations\/whites-of-westport\/\">White&#8217;s of Westport<\/a>, to celebrate our mutual work in caring for the health of our community. We hope to see you there! (Cardiology and trauma lectures will be provided and can be counted as equivalent to St. Luke&#8217;s Hospital EMS educational rounds.) Click <a href=\"https:\/\/southcoast.wufoo.com\/forms\/z1s70d321fnakl3\/\">here<\/a> to register.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: revert;color: initial;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif\">No Interruptions for Charlton Cath Lab, Despite IV Contrast Shortages<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Posted May 10, 2022<br \/>\n<\/em>Many of you have heard of the national shortage of intravenous contrast dye, which is necessary for many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The Cardiology service at Charlton Memorial Hospital wants to assure the EMS community that the Charlton cath lab remains fully prepared to serve STEMI patients and emergent and urgent cardiac patients. There will be no interruption in cardiac care during this critical shortage.<\/p>\n<p><b>Storm-associated waiver: EMS may take non-medical patients to shelter this weekend<\/b><\/p>\n<p><em>Posted January 28, 2022<\/em><br \/>\nDuring a storm like this weekend&#8217;s, some will call 911 not for medical issues, but for housing \/ shelter issues &#8212; i.e., no heat or power. The state OEMS has thus provided a waiver (attached), from 8 p.m. tonight until 7 a.m. Monday morning, to allow ambulances to transport people with no real medical complaints and no concerning exam \/ vital issues, not to hospitals, but to destinations such as shelters.<\/p>\n<p><b>Storm realities: EMS will have to make real-time decisions about where to transport<\/b><\/p>\n<p><em>Posted January 28, 2022<\/em><br \/>\nEMS may also encounter patients they would normally take to Fall River, Providence or Boston (e.g., major burns, pediatric trauma, STEMIs) &#8212; but if conditions are <u>extraordinarily unsafe<\/u>, they may end up diverting to closer hospitals. This is going to be\u00a0<b>a judgment call made by\u00a0EMS crews<\/b>\u00a0<b>either\u00a0in consultation with their\u00a0EMS agency leaders, or by\u00a0radio calls for\u00a0on-line physician medical control.<\/b>\u00a0Our local EMS leadership has years of experience with\u00a0transporting medical\u00a0emergencies\u00a0during\u00a0severely inclement\u00a0weather, and the default will always be to try to get the patient to the appropriate point of entry. That said, if a weather natural disaster forces changes to usual protocols, the pre-hospital and hospital medical teams will have to work together and adapt accordingly.<\/p>\n<h4>Educational Rounds Requirements for EMS Providers Again Waived for 2021<\/h4>\n<p><em>Posted October 7, 2021.<\/em><br \/>\nEMS personnel who get medical direction from Southcoast will again for 2021 be given a blanket waiver on all medical director&#8217;s education rounds requirements. A similar waiver was provided for 2020. (The usual requirement for a provider to remain credentialed is to attend 5 educational rounds events annually, of which at least 2 should be at St. Luke&#8217;s; while after months of cancelled rounds due to COVID-19, we have successfully transitioned to video-based lectures recently, we have not offered these video lectures as reliably or as often as our past monthly in-person lectures, so the requirements are being waived).<\/p>\n<h4>COVID-19 is Not Gone, Protect Yourselves &amp; Your Patients<\/h4>\n<p>Please note that with Delta variant of COVID-19 on the rise, the state Department of Public Health and St. Luke&#8217;s Hospital have both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/doc\/dph-covid-19-guidance-for-all-health-care-organizations-and-providers-2\/download\">reiterated<\/a> we need to continue all of the infection control practices EMS has developed and successfully followed over the past 18 months. This means:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>All standard protective gear, including masks &amp; eye protection while with patients<\/li>\n<li>No aerosolizing procedures while entering the EDs, so stop CPAP and \/ or nebulizers and transition (if needed) to oxygen therapy until a patient is roomed<\/li>\n<li>Do not come to work if symptomatic with fever \/ viral illness symptoms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Vaccinations are safe and they work, including against Delta variant.<\/p>\n<h4>Happy EMS Week 2021!<\/h4>\n<p><em>Posted May 18, 2021.<\/em><br \/>\nThank you to all of our prehospital care partners, for all of the work you do!<\/p>\n<h4>Medics, We Need Your Patient Care Info<\/h4>\n<p><em>Posted February 11, 2021.<\/em><br \/>\nEMTs and paramedics, please remember to leave a completed patient care report for every patient.<\/p>\n<p>Please also remember to document mental status and \/ or Glasgow Coma Scale on every trauma patient.<\/p>\n<h4>EMS and Aerosolizing Procedures<\/h4>\n<p><em>Posted January 18, 2021.<\/em><br \/>\nCoronaviruses that cause diseases such as SARS and COVID-19 are felt to be spread by respiratory droplets. The highest-risk mechanism of spread of such droplets is an infected patient actively coughing. But unique to healthcare, there are &#8220;aerosolizing procedures&#8221; &#8212; ranging from suctioning an airway, to applying a nebulizer treatment, to CPR and bag-mask ventilation &#8212; that can also aerosolize droplets containing viral particles.<\/p>\n<p>Southcoast hospitals has taken a conservative approach towards aerosolizing procedures. We may avoid nebulizer treatments or CPAP \/ BiPAP in patients felt high-risk to have a COVID-19 infection, for example, and if we do need to use these modalities for a patient with COVID-19, we try to do so in a negative pressure room, with staff wearing high-level protective equipment.<\/p>\n<p><u>For EMS responding to 911 calls<\/u>, it is at the discretion of the first responder whether to provide CPAP or nebulizer treatments. On the one hand, there is a small risk of increased infection exposure to the providers; on the other, these providers are the first contact with an undifferentiated patient who may be in severe respiratory distress, unable to breathe. So paramedics should be empowered to judge the risks to themselves and their team against the risks and needs of the patient. (We do ask that upon arrival to the ED, therapies such as nebulizers and CPAP be paused while a patient passes through the halls and is roomed, to protect other ED patients.)<\/p>\n<p>For EMS responding to hospitals\u00a0<u>for intrafacility transfers<\/u>, this calculation is different: EMS should not be expected to transport COVID-19 patients on CPAP or BiPAP, or receiving nebulizer treatments. The expectation is that COVID-19 patients must be stable enough to travel without those therapies (or they could be intubated for the transfer). An exception to this would be for EMS services that have obtained hood \/ helmet CPAP systems that are self-contained and thus decrease risk of viral spread.<\/p>\n<h4>EMS Can Give Flu &amp; COVID-19 Vaccinations<\/h4>\n<p><em style=\"font-size: inherit\">Posted December 19, 2020<br \/>\n<\/em>The Department of Public Health has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/doc\/drug-control-program-guidance-for-ems-personnel-medical-and-nursing-student-flu-and-covid-19\/download\">by emergency order<\/a> granted EMTs (both basic and paramedic level) authority to administer influenza and \/ or COVID-19 vaccinations. The EMTs must be working for a licensed ambulance service; must undergo an in-house training program; and be prepared to manage possible adverse reactions. See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/lists\/advisories-memos-and-notices-for-oems#flu-and-covid-19-vaccination-by-ems-personnel-under-commissioner%E2%80%99s-order-12\/18\/2020-\">here<\/a> for a list of all relevant new orders and communications; and for the emergency protocols themselves, see\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/doc\/special-protocol-for-ems-personnel-flu-vaccination-under-commissioners-order-december-18-2020\/download\">influenza vaccination protocols<\/a> for paramedics and basics;\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/doc\/special-protocol-for-emt-basic-covid-19-vaccination-under-commissioners-order-december-18-2020\/download\">COVID-19 vaccination protocols for EMT-basics<\/a>; and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/doc\/special-protocol-for-paramedic-and-advanced-emt-covid-19-vaccination-under-commissioners-order\/download\">COVID-19 vaccination protocols for paramedics.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Note that EMS personnel must undergo a specific training program prior to activating these emergency protocols; also note that EMS companies that get their medical direction from Southcoast Hospitals can expect our support in rapidly approving such in-house training programs.<\/p>\n<h4>EMS: Protect Yourself; Wear <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">All PPE<\/span> at All Times<\/h4>\n<p><em style=\"font-size: inherit\">Posted November 21, 2020<br \/>\n<\/em>Prevalence of COVID-19 has risen again in southern Massachusetts to the point that <strong>EMS personnel should now assume that every patient<\/strong>, symptomatic or not, <strong>could be infected with COVID-19<\/strong>. EMS personnel should thus wear <strong>full protective equipment on every call<\/strong>: Gown, gloves, eye protection, and an N95 mask or equivalent.<\/p>\n<p>Please also remember:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wash hands and stethoscopes frequently<\/li>\n<li>Discontinue any aerosol-generating procedures (CPAP, nebulizer treatments) prior to entry to the ED. (We may or may not restart such therapies once a patient is safely roomed.)<\/li>\n<li>The decision to start CPAP or a nebulizer treatment in the ambulance must now, again, be individualized. These procedures increase risk to the EMS providers of a COVID-19 infection &#8212; exactly how much it increases the risk is not clear, especially if the providers wear N95 masks and other protective gear. (Arguably, a patient coughing is a bigger risk than a patient on CPAP, when it comes to aerosolizing respiratory droplets). Case by case, each EMS provider will have to make their own medical judgment about whether a given patient should have a nebulizer treatment or be placed on CPAP &#8212; balancing the risk to themselves and their colleagues personally, against the benefit expected for the given patient.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><span style=\"font-size: inherit\">Identifying Patients: We Rely on EMS<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><em style=\"font-size: inherit\">Posted November 9, 2020<br \/>\n<\/em>To provide best possible care, Southcoast hospitals is going to rely more and more on our pre-hospital partners to identify patients who may otherwise be too confused or altered to identify themselves. This is especially critical in the COVID-19 era when we have limited visitors &#8212; we can no longer rely on many family members to identify their loved one.<\/p>\n<p>EMS providers, please do your best to obtain the exact name, birth date and address of patients who can&#8217;t identify themselves; bring copies or cell phone photos of driver&#8217;s licenses or other identification; bring a name and phone number for any family member who helped with identification.<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-size: inherit\">St. Luke&#8217;s ED: Limited Visitors Policies Back in Effect<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><em style=\"font-size: inherit\">Posted November 3, 2020<br \/>\n<\/em>Please note that at St. Luke&#8217;s emergency department, given rising prevalence of Covid-19, we are\u00a0again moving to a\u00a0<u>no visitors \/ limited visitors<\/u>\u00a0policy.<\/p>\n<p>Exceptions are rarely made for patients with critical, life-threatening illnesses, or who at baseline require a caregiver for mental or physical disability.<\/p>\n<p>We ask our EMS partners to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Communicate this with families at scenes<\/li>\n<li>Make a special effort <b>to fully identify patients<\/b>\u00a0&#8212; take a photo of a driver&#8217;s license or bring it along, get confirmation from a named family member or facility staff person of the patient&#8217;s exact identity (name, date of birth)<\/li>\n<li>Make a special effort to take down\u00a0<b>contact information for a relevant family point person<\/b> we should call with updates or questions<\/li>\n<li>Make a special effort to identify\u00a0<b style=\"font-size: inherit\">Code Status or advanced directives\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-size: inherit\">when that might be relevant<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Families can also always call the St. Luke&#8217;s ED themselves, <b>508-973-5390<\/b>, for updates on relatives\u00a0brought to us by ambulance. They should be encouraged to have one family member be the point person for such calls.<\/p>\n<p>Separately but related, please also remember:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wear appropriate protective gear, wash hands and stethoscopes frequently, keep yourself and patients safe<\/li>\n<li>Discontinue any aerosol-generating procedures (CPAP, nebulizer treatments) prior to entry to the ED (we may restart them once\u00a0a\u00a0patient is safely roomed)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: inherit\">Weds Night from 8 p.m.: Ambulance Entry Change<\/span><\/h4>\n<div><em style=\"font-size: inherit\">Posted November 3, 2020<\/em><\/div>\n<div>From about 8 p.m. on Weds., Nov. 4, until 6 a.m. that following\u00a0morning, St. Luke&#8217;s will be doing a deep cleaning of the EMS entrance\u00a0and hallway.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Ambulances can park in the same area but will\u00a0enter through the exterior door to the Decon room.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>A St. Luke&#8217;s security guard should be posted there tonight to help direct people through.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Unfortunately the EMS workroom will also be closed for this one night.<\/div>\n<h4><span style=\"font-size: inherit\">EMS Return-to-Work Guidelines after Covid-19 Infection<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><em style=\"font-size: inherit\">Posted October 20, 2020<br \/>\n<\/em>After an EMT, paramedic or other healthcare worker tests positive for Covid-19 &#8212; when and how can they go back to work? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/hcp\/return-to-work.html\">The algorithm per CDC<\/a> is simple:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong>Mildly symptomatic,<\/strong> with a positive Covid-19 test?<\/span><br \/>\nOut of work:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>For 10 days <em>since symptoms first appeared<\/em>, and<\/li>\n<li>For 24 hours <em>since last fever<\/em>, and<\/li>\n<li>Until symptoms &#8220;have improved&#8221;<br \/>\n(So 10 days after onset of symptoms, one could still have residual cough, say, but could return to work &#8212; as long as improving and no fever for at least a day. CDC does recommend people with persistent mild symptoms wear a face mask at all times at work.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong>Asymptomatic,<\/strong> with a positive Covid-19 test?<\/span><br \/>\nOut of work for 10 days. If develop mild symptoms in that time, revert to &#8220;mildly symptomatic&#8221; category above.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong>Severely \/ critically<\/strong> symptomatic with Covid-19 &#8212; OR, even <strong>asymptomatic, but with an underlying compromised immune system<\/strong>?<\/span><br \/>\nCDC says out of work &#8220;for at least 10 and up to 20 days&#8221; since symptom onset. So these special cases could be discussed with medical control; or, as CDC notes, with input from an infectious disease specialist if that was felt necessary; or could simply default to a 20-day quarantine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What if the healthcare worker is ready to return &#8212; <strong>but obtains a second Covid-19 test, and is still testing positive?<\/strong> This suggests they are still shedding virus, and until recently it was felt they needed to remain out until they were no longer testing positive. In our region, we have had a handful of cases of EMS personnel who feel well and are ready to work, but who have been sidelined for weeks, with serial tests persistently coming back positive. The good news is: Those people are almost certainly <strong>testing positive but no longer contagious, and can return to work.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Research <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/hcp\/duration-isolation.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fcommunity%2Fstrategy-discontinue-isolation.html\">summarized by CDC<\/a> now shows that <strong>many people will shed Covid-19 coronavirus particles for 3 months<\/strong> or more after an infection &#8212; but the viral particles at that point have been <strong>chewed up by the patient&#8217;s immune system and are no longer contagious. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For those who had mild infections and a strong immune system, no &#8220;replication-competent&#8221; viral particles have been isolated after 10 days from symptom onset; for some who had a critical Covid-19 illness or an underlying immunocompromised state, contagious viral particles were identified for a longer period &#8212; but even then, 95% of the time, by 15 days from symptom onset the virus particles shed were degraded to the point of being non-contagious. These conclusions are based on study of viral particles isolated themselves, but also on contract tracing studies that have followed patients shedding Covid-19 viral particles for weeks and months, and have confirmed that their close contacts are not being infected. Given this, <strong>it is not necessary to obtain a repeat Covid-19 test to return to work; and if one is still obtained and is positive, it can be ignored.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Finally, note that there is a near-zero incidence of Covid-19 reinfection so far. In fact, in the United States, there has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajmc.com\/view\/first-case-of-covid-19-reinfection-detected-in-the-us\">only been one convincingly reported case<\/a>, in a healthy 25-year-old man in Nevada, and worldwide only 4 other cases. Early reports of Covid-19 reinfections were most likely situations where a person recovered from Covid-19, then contracted a different viral illness but was still testing positive for Covid-19. <strong>So for anyone who tests positive for Covid-19, for at least the next 3 months, they do not need to take repeat Covid-19 tests<\/strong> if they develop a fever and \/ or viral syndromes, but can instead simply stay out of work until no fever for 24 hours and symptoms are improved.<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-size: inherit\">BLS protocols: Bronchodilators, Epi, CPAP &amp; Glucagon<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><em style=\"font-size: inherit\">Posted August 13, 2020<br \/>\n<\/em>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/lists\/emergency-medical-services-statewide-treatment-protocols\">Statewide Pre-Hospital Treatment Protocols for 2020<\/a> allow BLS providers &#8212; if properly trained &#8212; to provide select medical interventions that were once reserved for paramedics. These sections of protocol <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">must be explicitly activated by the EMS medical director.<\/span> For EMS services that receive medical direction from Southcoast physicians, this memo confirms the following select optional protocols (and only the following) are active and can be accessed &#8212; again, with the provision that <strong>BLS providers must have received appropriate training<\/strong>, and the service they work for <strong>must have approved local use<\/strong>. (Please note that once the medical director activates these options, this only clears the way for EMS leaders to further implement &#8212; all actors should be sure to review these protocols before &#8220;going live,&#8221; as the state has included significant commitments for training and for post-call quality improvement reviews).<\/p>\n<p>Once trained and approved by their local EMS leadership, BLS providers working under Southcoast medical direction may:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Section 6.1:<\/span> initiate <strong>bronchodilators<\/strong> in patients <em>who already take them<\/em> and have <em>an established diagnosis<\/em> of reactive airway disease<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Section 6.3:<\/span> use the Selective Spinal Assessment protocol to determine <strong>whether or not a patient requires a hard cervical collar<\/strong> immobilization.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Section 6.6:<\/span> administer intramuscular <strong>epinephrine<\/strong> injections for anaphylaxis via <strong>&#8220;Check and Inject&#8221; kits<\/strong> (as an alternative to epinephrine auto-injectors or &#8220;Epi Pens.&#8221;)<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Section 6.9:<\/span> initiate <strong>Continuous Positive Airway Pressure<\/strong> (CPAP) in appropriate patients suffering respiratory distress in setting of bronchospasm or congestive heart failure.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Section 6.10:<\/span> administer intramuscular <strong>glucagon<\/strong> injections for patients with <em>documented<\/em> hypoglycemia and who are <em>too altered to take by-mouth<\/em> glucose \/ sugars.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Covid-19: Please stay vigilant!<\/h4>\n<p><em>Posted July 22, 2020<\/em><br \/>\nPlease note that Covid-19, while it has waned in southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, does still remain prevalent in the region. We are seeing Covid-19 cases in our emergency departments still almost every day. So it is important to continue, as EMS providers, to use appropriate protective gear (N95 masks with patients; surgical masks at least when not engaged in patient care), wash hands, and practice appropriate physical distancing. The experience of EMS and emergency departments in our area confirms: <em>You will be at low risk of contracting Covid-19 even if you care for multiple contagious Covid-19 patients<\/em> &#8212; provided you do these 3 simple things.<\/p>\n<h4>If pepper spray \/ tear gas: Call Ahead; Need to Decon<\/h4>\n<p><em>Posted June 3, 2020<\/em><br \/>\nPlease note that patients exposed to pepper spray, tear gas or other riot-control gasses \/ agents can expose EMS and other healthcare providers via off-gassing from their skin and clothes. They need decontamination prior to entering a hospital. EMS providers should call ahead to warn the emergency department if bringing such a case, and will likely be directed to a decon area prior to proceeding to any ED room. (At St. Luke&#8217;s, for just an isolated case or two this would mean either entering the ambulance bay and proceeding to the next-door decon room and its showers, or possibly being directed to enter via the decon room&#8217;s external door; in event of multiple cases there may be outside tent decon facility operations.)<\/p>\n<p>Decon &#8212; which people with minor exposures who don&#8217;t feel they need medical care can also perform on their own &#8212; basically involves removing and bagging exposed clothes, washing with soap and water, and for eye irritation, irrigating with water for several minutes. For more information see this <a href=\"https:\/\/emergency.cdc.gov\/agent\/riotcontrol\/factsheet.asp\">excellent CDC info sheet<\/a> on riot-control agents.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Rounds Postponed for June.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>We are postponing the planned educational rounds for June 2020. (Rounds requirements for paramedics for 2020 will also be adjusted, in light of COVID-19 disruptions.)<\/p>\n<h4>Advisory: COVID-19 Associated with STEMIs<\/h4>\n<p><em>Posted May 13, 2020<\/em><br \/>\nPlease note that viral respiratory infections, including influenza A and B, RSV, and now COVID-19, are all associated with a large increase in risk for myocardial infarction \/ STEMI. <a class=\"OWAAutoLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJMoa1702090\">A study<\/a>\u00a0two years ago\u00a0found that having had a viral illness in the past seven days dramatically increased risk for an MI. Influenza B increased risk of MI in the next seven days\u00a0by\u00a0<b>10-fold<\/b>, influenza A by 5-fold, RSV by 3-fold. It is also noteworthy that\u00a0<a class=\"OWAAutoLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lancet\/article\/PIIS0140-6736(04)17176-6\/fulltext\">historically<\/a>, more people die after influenza from a cardiac cause than a pneumonia.<\/p>\n<p>COVID-19\u00a0<a class=\"OWAAutoLink\" href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamacardiology\/fullarticle\/2763846\">has also been implicated<\/a>\u00a0in cardiovascular pathology. It has\u00a0been associated with\u00a0STEMIs, as well as NSTEMIs and STEMI-mimic myocarditis. (Why? Unclear, but overall, it like influenza is associated with all-body inflammatory processes, which in turn increase risk for pathological\u00a0clotting.)\u00a0Paramedics should please\u00a0remember to consider STEMI in the differential for a patient with a viral syndrome picture.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"x_MsoNormal\"><b>For <em>Non-911<\/em> EMS: Use St. Luke&#8217;s Main Lobby Entrance<\/b><\/h4>\n<p class=\"x_MsoNormal\"><em>Posted May 12, 2020.<\/em><br \/>\nAll emergent \/ 911 EMS arriving to St. Luke&#8217;s should continue to use the regular ambulance bay doors as always. But non-emergent ambulance teams should enter through the main hospital lobby. (Although in past non-emergent EMS has arrived via the MRI access area, that door is now closed). The hospital is screening all staff and visitors on arrival, and EMS staff can also expect to be screened for temperature readings.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Rounds Postponed for May.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>We are postponing the planned educational rounds for May 2020. (Rounds requirements for paramedics for 2020 will also be adjusted, in light of COVID-19 disruptions.)<\/p>\n<h4>Advisory: COVID-19 May Present as Cardiac Arrest<\/h4>\n<p><em>Last reviewed: April 30, 2020<\/em><br \/>\nA recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJMc2010418?query=featured_home\">letter<\/a> in the <em>New England Journal of Medicine<\/em> reports that out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) rose rapidly during the first 40 days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, in tandem with rising cases of the coronavirus infection. The implication is that many COVID-19 cases presented for the first time to healthcare as cardiac arrests.<\/p>\n<p>EMS providers should assume any OHCA could be COVID-19 related; and should review the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ahajournals.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1161\/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.047463\">latest American Heart Association guidelines<\/a> on managing cardiac arrest in cases of confirmed or suspected COVID-19. Some of these AHA recommendations are counter-intuitive to past practice. They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wear all appropriate PPE and minimize personnel involved<\/li>\n<li>Consider use of mechanical chest compression devices (to help limit staff involved \/ exposed)<\/li>\n<li>Use viral filters if intubating \/ ventilating patients<\/li>\n<li>HOLD compressions if intubating, to ensure first-pass success and minimize airway manipulation \/ exposure<\/li>\n<li>Whatever airway strategy is used, if possible consider early attachment to ventilator&#8217;s closed circuit (with viral filters) as opposed to bag-mask ventilation<\/li>\n<li>Finally, consider the appropriateness of even starting or continuing resuscitation in cases strongly likely to be COVID-19, given the possible poor prognosis; this can be discussed with medical control if needed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><span class=\"rpHighlightAllClass rpHighlightSubjectClass\" title=\"\" role=\"heading\">Update on Expedited COVID Testing for First Responders<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><em>Last reviewed: April 7, 2020<\/em><br \/>\nEffective immediately, first responders who are SYMPTOMATIC and need a COVID-19 test can self-present to the St. Luke&#8217;s ED triage area. If they identify as a first responder in need of a test, then they will be directed to a tent for rapid COVID-19 testing that is open now from 9am to 6pm. This replaces the prior protocol of calling ahead to the ED.<\/p>\n<h4>Protocol 6.11 on Calling Select Codes in Field Activated<\/h4>\n<p><em>Last reviewed: April 2, 2020<br \/>\n<\/em>Effective immediately, paramedics who receive medical control from Southcoast Hospitals medical directors (at Charlton Memorial, Tobey or St. Luke&#8217;s) can make use of Statewide Treatment Protocols Medical Control Option 6.11, &#8220;Withholding and Cessation of Resuscitation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Medics must present the case to the Online Medical Control physician via CMED. Medics should continue resuscitation during this med control call. Do not stop before or during the radio call &#8212; assume the code is still active! If the emergency physician reviewing the case is not comfortable in any way, the physician may well decline this. In that case, paramedics must continue resuscitative efforts and transport to nearest hospital.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to receiving Online Medical Control approval to stop the resuscitation, the case itself must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered for this:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Adults\u00a0<\/strong>only (18 and over)<\/li>\n<li>Patient\u00a0<strong>not\u00a0visibly pregnant<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>No relevant\u00a0<strong>hypothermia\u00a0<\/strong>suspicion<\/li>\n<li>All\u00a0<strong>standard ALS has been provided <\/strong>&#8212; includes medications, defibrillation if relevant, respiratory support, but does not necessarily require advanced airway<\/li>\n<li>Patient has been PERSISTENTLY in either\u00a0<strong>asystole or PEA for &gt; 20 minutes\u00a0<\/strong>(so, can&#8217;t be in and out of ventricular dysrhythmias, or having intermittent return of spontaneous circulation)<\/li>\n<li>No relevant\u00a0<strong>hypothermia\u00a0<\/strong>suspicion<\/li>\n<li><em>If\u00a0<\/em>patient has advanced airway, it must have been confirmed by End-Tidal CO2 with waveform<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<p>Many codes are called already in the field without Online Medical Control involvement. These are cases with DNR orders, with trauma inconsistent with life, or signs of prolonged arrest such as dependent lividity or rigor mortis. When paramedics have those findings, they can call the code on their own authority and do not need Online Medical Control. This is true even if a resuscitation has been initiated prior to recognizing a valid DNR, or signs of lividity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h4>EMS May Defer Transport of Certain COVID-19 Cases<\/h4>\n<p><em>Last reviewed: March 31, 2020<\/em><br \/>\nEffective immediately, EMS has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/doc\/13-emergency-non-transport-protocol\/download\">given permission by the state<\/a> to not transport well-appearing, <b>viral syndrome-only<\/b> cases that meet strict criteria.\u00a0<b>The medics must call for<\/b> <strong>On-Line Medical Control<\/strong> every time to share the decision-making in real time with an emergency department physician. Medics can provide treatment at the scene per their discretion, but such treatments must be consistent only with supportive care for a viral syndrome (i.e., antipyretics, anti-emetics, etc.)<\/p>\n<p>Patients eligible for this protocol of deferred transport must:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Only appear to have COVID-19 \/ viral syndrome, no other complaints<\/li>\n<li>Be alert and oriented<\/li>\n<li>Be between ages 18 and 55<\/li>\n<li>Have at least 2 viral syndrome symptoms (cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, fever, chills, myalgias)<\/li>\n<li>Have a heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate in normal limits for their age<\/li>\n<li>Have an oxygen saturation of more than 94%<\/li>\n<li>Have no signs or symptoms of recent syncope, chest pain (other than mild, cough-associated pain), cyanosis, respiratory distress<\/li>\n<li>Have no past history of COPD, asthma, heart disease, diabetes or immunosuppression<\/li>\n<li>Have access to a primary care provider or other outpatient healthcare provider<\/li>\n<li>Agree, or have a caregiver who consents, to not going to an emergency department<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>CPAP, Nebulizer Therapies During COVID-19 Pandemic<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><em>Last reviewed: March 31, 2020<br \/>\n<\/em>CPAP and nebulizer treatments have potential to aerosolize viral particles. For this reason, Southcoast asks that EMS\u00a0discontinue<strong>\u00a0all such therapies\u00a0<\/strong>upon arrival to\u00a0our emergency departments. This is not because such therapies are inappropriate &#8212; as we all know, they can be excellent for dyspneic patients &#8212; but because we prefer not to continue them\u00a0<strong>while the patient is being wheeled down the hallway<\/strong>. This is\u00a0to protect other patients in the department, in the event the patient being treated turns out to have an infectious process such as COVID-19.\u00a0Once in the patient room, the emergency department may well re-initiate the same therapy, per the physician&#8217;s discretion.<\/p>\n<p>The state OEMS recently released\u00a0<a class=\"OWAAutoLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/doc\/emergency-release-of-12-patient-at-risk-for-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-march-20\/download\">an emergency protocol update\u00a0<\/a>regarding care of possible COVID-19 patients. This protocol notes that\u00a0CPAP and nebulizer treatments have potential to aerosolize viral particles,\u00a0and says paramedics &#8220;may defer&#8221; those treatments to the receiving hospital.<\/p>\n<p>To be clear: Paramedics\u00a0<em>can\u00a0<\/em>still start CPAP or nebulizer treatments for dyspneic patients. But they are also empowered\u00a0<i>not to<\/i>\u00a0do that, for example\u00a0if the patient seems to be in\u00a0only mild distress. This is at paramedic discretion, and\u00a0will have\u00a0to be a balancing act every time between the safety needs of the EMS crew &#8212;\u00a0aerosolizing procedures like nebs do create a small increased risk\u00a0&#8212; and the medical care needs of the patient.<\/p>\n<h4><b>What PPE Required for EMS?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><em>Last reviewed: March 31, 2020<br \/>\n<\/em>SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19,\u00a0is felt to be droplet and contact transmitted, and so surgical mask, eye protection, gown and gloves are all appropriate PPE. But remember that once nebs or CPAP are involved, it could be\u00a0<u>aerosolized, or air borne<\/u>, at which point an N95 quality respirator mask is\u00a0appropriate.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Southcoast, EMS &amp; COVID-19: Other Policy Updates<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><em>Last reviewed: March 31, 2020<br \/>\n<\/em>All staff in Southcoast EDs are wearing a surgical mask at work at all times; in many situations, staff are wearing N95s. We ask that all EMS providers wear at least a surgical mask upon arrival to the ED at all times.<\/p>\n<h4>Expedited COVID-19 Testing for First Responders<em><br \/>\n<\/em><\/h4>\n<p><em>Last reviewed: April 7, 2020<br \/>\nFirst posted: March 31, 2020<br \/>\n<\/em><span style=\"font-size: medium\">[ UPDATE THIS PROTOCOL IS NOW OUTDATED, SEE ABOVE APRIL 7. ]<br \/>\nFor EMS providers and other first responders who are SYMPTOMATIC with fever, cough, shortness of breath or other possible infectious symptoms, St. Luke&#8217;s ED will arrange expedited testing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>For these cases:<br \/>\n1) <strong>Call ahead<\/strong> to inform resource RN you are coming, 508-973-5390<br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: inherit\">2) Arrive if at all possible in surgical face mask<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-size: inherit\">3) Come to usual ambulance entrance and <strong>ring the doorbell<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/span>4) You will be met, quickly roomed, registered, a test swab taken and you will be immediately discharged home for further self-quarantine<\/p>\n<p>This is ONLY FOR SYMPTOMATIC first-responders. We CANNOT TEST providers with no symptoms just because of a COVID-19 exposure history.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>EMS Needs to Mask Patients &amp; Wear PPE for <\/strong><strong><u>All Cases<\/u><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><em>Last reviewed: March 31, 2020<br \/>\nFirst posted: March 19, 2020<br \/>\n<\/em>The following is policy for all EMS companies affiliated with Southcoast Hospitals for their medical direction:<\/p>\n<p>Medics who <em>do<\/em> wear full PPE (gown, mask, gloves and eye protection) while caring for even a high-risk COVID-19 \/ a.k.a. SARS-CoV-2\u00a0case (febrile, actively coughing) do not need any special monitoring and <strong>are not considered exposed. <\/strong>(If a facility asks an EMS provider, \u201cHave you been exposed to a SARS-CoV-2 patient?\u201d the answer, <em>provided they were wearing full PPE<\/em>, is \u201cNo.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>Medics who <em>fail to<\/em> wear PPE with a case that is subsequently confirmed as SARS-CoV-2 need, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/hcp\/guidance-risk-assesment-hcp.html\">per CDC<\/a>, <strong>quarantined for 2 weeks. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Medics who <em>fail<\/em> to wear PPE with a case that is subsequently shunted into a SARS-CoV-2 ruleout pathway need quarantined <strong>until the ruleout comes back negative.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Note that 48.5% of SARS-CoV-2 patients in <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.lww.com\/ajg\/Documents\/COVID_Digestive_Symptoms_AJG_Preproof.pdf\">one study in China<\/a> had diarrhea (!) as their presenting complaint. Also note that patients <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJMc2001468?query=featured_home\">can be <em>asymptomatic but contagious<\/em><\/a> for 2-3 days prior to developing symptoms themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Taken together, this will translate as: either we will <u>save some masks <\/u>and gowns up front (<u>but lose staff <\/u>to unexpected 2-week quarantines and likely spread infection further); or we will use masks and gowns liberally upfront, decrease exposure risk not just to EMS workers but to many others, and run the risk of running out of masks and gowns later (and then improvising).<\/p>\n<p>Southcoast thus formally recommends that EMS use appropriate PPE for a SARS-CoV-2 patient on <em>all undifferentiated patients.<\/em> The only exceptions should be cases that are <em>clearly not <\/em>SARS-CoV-2 in nature \u2013 that have no respiratory, GI, <em>nonspecific <\/em>symptoms (\u201cweak and dizzy,\u201d \u201cdon\u2019t feel good\u201d), or classically infectious symptoms (body aches, sore throat, etc.)<\/p>\n<p>In other words, patients who present with STEMIs, strokes, psychiatric complaints, isolated GI bleeding, substance abuse, genitourinary issues, major or minor trauma, etc. &#8212; <em>who also do not screen positive for these other respiratory, infectious or GI symptoms when asked<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 could reasonably be considered \u201casymptomatic for SARS-CoV-2.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Given the <em>enormous commitment<\/em> on the part of the entire nation to try to limit spread of SARS-CoV-2 in other settings, many ordinary citizens &#8212; who are out of work, their kids out of school, their grocery store shelves empty\u00a0&#8212;\u00a0would be shocked if they were to learn that EMS providers \u2013 who have <em>the highest level of potential exposures<\/em>, stuck in the back of an enclosed ambulance for prolonged periods with patients, often while initiating emergency aerosol-generating procedures like bag-mask ventilation, neb therapies or CPAP \u2013 and who also have the <em>broadest travel across our network of hospitals and care facilities<\/em> \u2013 weren\u2019t in every case taking <em>the most basic of precautions<\/em>. It seems logical to recommend <strong>EMS wear full PPE in any case that could reasonably be SARS-CoV-2<\/strong> \u2013 if not in every case that an EMS crew transports.<\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/php\/risk-assessment.html\"><strong>CDC on EMS &amp; Other Healthcare Worker Exposures<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n<p>\u201c\u2026 <strong>emergency first responders<\/strong> \u2026<strong> may be permitted to continue work following potential exposure<\/strong> to SARS-CoV-2 (either travel-associated or close contact to a confirmed case), <strong>provided they remain asymptomatic.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Personnel who are permitted to work following an exposure should <strong>self-monitor under the supervision of their employer\u2019s occupational health program including taking their temperature before each work shift<\/strong> to ensure they remain afebrile. On days these individuals are scheduled to work, the employer\u2019s <strong>occupational health program could consider measuring temperature and assessing symptoms prior to their starting work.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201c\u2026 CDC does not recommend testing, symptom monitoring or special management for people exposed to asymptomatic people<\/strong> with potential exposures to SARS-CoV-2 (such as in a household), i.e., \u201ccontacts of contacts;\u201d <strong>these people are not considered exposed<\/strong> to SARS-CoV-2.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Rounds Postponed for April.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>We are postponing the planned educational rounds for April 2020.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h4>EMS and PPE Use at the ED<\/h4>\n<p><em>Last reviewed: March 19, 2020<br \/>\n<\/em>Paramedics should at minimum use appropriate personal protective equipment on all respiratory cases and all febrile cases. They can wear PPE into the EDs while bringing patients back. Once care has been transferred, EMS providers should doff all PPE before leaving the room and wash their hands after. They can then don a fresh pair of gloves to wheel the stretcher and any other equipment back to the ambulance bay, where any further necessary decon of monitors, stretchers or other equipment can occur.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>EMS And Pharmacy Restocking<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><em>Last reviewed: March 19, 2020<br \/>\n<\/em>Effective immediately, EMS providers do not need a physician signature on their patient care report (PCR) to restock ambulance medications at our pharmacy. Simply present the (unsigned) PCR.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>COVID-19: No CPAP On Arrival; Use Your PPE<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><em>Last reviewed: March 31, 2020<br \/>\nFirst posted: March 17, 2020<br \/>\n<\/em>1) Effective immediately, please discontinue not just nebulizer therapy, but any CPAP \/ BiPAP therapy, prior to entering a Southcoast Hospital ED with a patient. Any patient who required that level of respiratory support should also have a surgical face mask placed on them &#8212; not an N95 &#8212; this can be placed over top of any O2 delivery device needed. Once the patient is settled in a room or other treatment area, the physician will decide whether to resume nebs or non-invasive positive pressure. Therapies such as bag-mask ventilation or CPR can and should be continued.<\/p>\n<p>2) Please review with your frontline EMS providers that for any patient with fever or any patient with any respiratory complaint, they should be wearing PPE. We are seeing multiple EMS crews delivering coughing, dyspneic and \/ or febrile patients with zero PPE donned. This is not safe for the crews. Please remind crews that not using PPE when appropriate could have implications for them if they are placed on 2-week quarantines that otherwise could have been avoided.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Stroke care &amp; EMS conference\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Rhode Island Hospital is hosting a stroke symposium on Saturday, May 9, in Providence, and regional EMS are among those invited. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Rhode-Island-Stroke-Symposium-2020.pdf\">Read More.<\/a><\/p>\n<h4><strong>EMS And Pharmacy Restocking: Update From DPH<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>The state EMS offices recently clarified that when a paramedic gives a medication under state treatment protocols, there is no requirement for the paramedic to obtain a physician signature on the PCR in order to restock the medication. Southcoast Hospitals Group had actually advocated for this change so we are pleased to see it! For the moment, the practice will continue, only because we are in process of updating the contracts ambulance companies have signed with our pharmacy &#8212; the current contracts still say paramedics need this signature. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Advisory-20-02-01-Signatures-on-PCRs-Documenting-On-Line-Medical-Directi...-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Read More.<\/a><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Diltiazem Shortage<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Given the current shortage of Diltiazem: In cases of rapid atrial fibrillation that require rate control per protocol, please consider there is a standing order to use Metoprolol instead. Dosing is 2.5-5 mg per protocol, often the 5 mg is the most appropriate dose. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/diltiazem-shortage\/\">Read more.<\/a><\/p>\n<h4><strong>NOVEL CORONAVIRUS: UPDATE FROM OEMS<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>This posting is to ensure that the EMS community is aware of recently issued guidance on the outbreak of a novel coronavirus causing respiratory disease in Wuhan, China, and to provide additional information for EMS personnel. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/novel-coronavirus-update-from-oems\/\">Read more.<\/a><\/p>\n<h4><strong>D50 Shortage<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Given the current shortage of Dextrose 50%, cases of hypoglycemia can be treated as per a standing order with Dextrose 10%. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/d50-shortage\/\">Read more.<\/a><\/p>\n<h4><strong>LVAD Disposition<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are becoming more common in our area and are uniquely challenging. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/lvad-disposition\/\">Read more.<\/a><\/p>\n                    <\/div>\n\n                    \n                    <div class=\"ctaWrap ctaCenter\">\n                                                                                                        \n                                                                                                                            <\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n            \n\n            \n\n            \t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"lectures\" class=\"blockSettings  paddingTopNone paddingBottomNone copyFullFluid light\" style=\"\">\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"grid\">\n            \t\t\t<div class=\"copyFullWrap bg-white\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-12\">\n                    <div class=\"maincopy \">\n                        <p><strong>Upcoming 2026 Lectures<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Rounds are usually held at noon on the first Wednesday of the month. There are usually no rounds for July and August.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>LUCA TOMASI, MD<br \/>\nAttending Emergency Physician, SLH<br \/>\nSt. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nUltrasound and EMS<br \/>\nSeptember 2 at noon <b>in person only<br \/>\nat McBratney Auditorium,<br \/>\nSt. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<\/b><\/p>\n<p>OMAR SHWEISH, MD<br \/>\nPulmonary and Critical Care Medicine<br \/>\nSt. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nTBD<br \/>\nOctober 7 at noon <strong>only on Microsoft Teams<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/teams.microsoft.com\/l\/meetup-join\/19%3ameeting_YTBhYzE3YTEtYzBjMy00ZWJkLWE3NTUtODliYjU2NGRiY2Vh%40thread.v2\/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22abf7e849-4191-4c07-b43a-9ac998de9131%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%224e66a518-47e8-4b25-91ca-e919bc2bac52%22%7d\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>JACOB HUGHES<br \/>\nNEW BEDFORD EMS<br \/>\nEMS TRANSFUSION PROGRAM<br \/>\nNov 4 at noon <strong>only on Microsoft Teams<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/teams.microsoft.com\/l\/meetup-join\/19%3ameeting_YTBhYzE3YTEtYzBjMy00ZWJkLWE3NTUtODliYjU2NGRiY2Vh%40thread.v2\/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22abf7e849-4191-4c07-b43a-9ac998de9131%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%224e66a518-47e8-4b25-91ca-e919bc2bac52%22%7d\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nEMS Medical Director and<br \/>\nSARAH MORRIS, MD<br \/>\nAssociate EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nEMS GRAND ROUNDS<br \/>\nDec 2 at noon at McBratney Auditorium ONLY<\/p>\n<p><strong>Prior lectures<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>BRIAN SARD, MD<br \/>\nPediatric Emergency Physician<br \/>\nChair, Pediatric Emergency Department, St. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nPEDIATRIC RESPIRATORY EMERGENCIES<br \/>\nJanuary 7<\/p>\n<p>SEAN HERSEY, MD<br \/>\nSt. Luke&#8217;s Trauma Service<br \/>\nTRAUMATIC CARDIAC ARREST &amp; THE ED THORACOTOMY<br \/>\nFebruary 4<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nEMS Medical Director and<br \/>\nSARAH MORRIS, MD<br \/>\nAssociate EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nEMS GRAND ROUNDS<br \/>\nMarch 4<\/p>\n<p>ATHENA XIAFARAS, MD<br \/>\nSt. Luke&#8217;s Pediatric Emergency Department<br \/>\nVACCINE PREVENTABLE ILLNESS<br \/>\nApril 1<\/p>\n<p>DAN SACCHETTI, DO<br \/>\nDirector of Stroke Care<br \/>\nSt. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nEMS AND STROKE CARE<br \/>\nMay<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nEMS Medical Director<br \/>\nPROTOCOL UPDATES \/ OPTIONAL PROTOCOLS<br \/>\nJune 3<\/p>\n<p><strong>2025<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nEMS Medical Director<br \/>\nSAFE RESTRAINT OF AND CARE FOR THE COMBATIVE PATIENT<br \/>\nDecember 3<\/p>\n<p>CHRIS TANGA, MD<br \/>\nVascular Surgery<br \/>\nVASCULAR EMERGENCIES<br \/>\nNovember 5<\/p>\n<p>BRANDON FUMANTI, MD<br \/>\nSt. Luke&#8217;s Trauma Service<br \/>\nTRAUMA CASES<br \/>\nOctober 1<\/p>\n<p>ALEXANDRA BAKER<br \/>\nPediatrician<br \/>\nPEDIATRIC SEPSIS<br \/>\nJune 4<\/p>\n<p>DANIEL SACCHETTI, DO<br \/>\nNeurologist<br \/>\nStroke Director, St. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nEMS AND STROKE CARE<br \/>\nMay 7<\/p>\n<p>CAROLYN DAVIDSON, MD<br \/>\nDepartment of Cardiology<br \/>\nDYSRHYTHMIA MANAGEMENT<br \/>\nSt. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nApril 2<\/p>\n<p>SHAWN SANFORD, MD<br \/>\nEmergency Physician<br \/>\nSt. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nOBSTETRIC EMERGENCIES<br \/>\nMarch 5<\/p>\n<p>MICHAEL GROSSMAN MD<br \/>\nChair, Trauma Surgery<br \/>\nSt. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nFIVE YEARS OF TRAUMA CARE AT ST. LUKE&#8217;S<br \/>\nFebruary 5<\/p>\n<p>BRIAN SARD, MD<br \/>\nPediatric Emergency Physician<br \/>\nSt. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nPEDIATRIC TRAUMA MANAGEMENT<br \/>\nJanuary 8<\/p>\n<p><strong>2024<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>NEIL HADFIELD, MD<br \/>\nEmergency Physician<br \/>\nSt. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nEVIDENCE FOR PRE-HOSPITAL BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS<br \/>\nDecember 3<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nEMS Medical Director<br \/>\nSARAH MORRIS, MD<br \/>\nAssociate EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nSt. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nGRAND ROUNDS<br \/>\nNovember 13<\/p>\n<p>MADELINE YOGMAN, MD<br \/>\nEmergency Physician<br \/>\nSt. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nDISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND THE EMS PROVIDER<br \/>\nOctober 1<\/p>\n<p>CHRIS POPE, DO<br \/>\nChair, Obstetrics at St. Luke&#8217;s<br \/>\nOBSTETRIC EMERGENCIES<br \/>\nSeptember 3<\/p>\n<p>DANIEL SACCHETTI, DO<br \/>\nNeurologist<br \/>\nStroke Director, St. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nEMS AND STROKE CARE<br \/>\nJune 4<\/p>\n<p>MICHAEL BARRETTI, DO<br \/>\nCritical Care Physician, Pulmonologist<br \/>\nChair of St. Luke&#8217;s ICU<br \/>\nCRITICAL CARE EMERGENCIES<br \/>\nMay 7<\/p>\n<p>MICHAEL GROSSMAN, MD<br \/>\nChief of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery<br \/>\nTRAUMA ROUNDS<br \/>\nApril 2<\/p>\n<p>BENJAMIN ZORACH, MD<br \/>\nCardiologist, Charlton Memorial<br \/>\nMarch 5<\/p>\n<p>NOSHEEN JAVED, MD<br \/>\nCardiologist<br \/>\nMedical Director, Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Charlton Memorial<br \/>\nCardiology Site Director, St. Luke&#8217;s<br \/>\nEMERGENCY CARDIAC CARE<br \/>\nFebruary 6<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nEMS Medical Director<br \/>\nGRAND ROUNDS + DANGERS OF SEDATION &amp; RESTRAINTS<br \/>\nJanuary 18<\/p>\n<p><strong>2023<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nWHAT WORKS BEST IN EMS? AN EVIDENCE REVIEW<br \/>\nDecember 5<\/p>\n<p>JOHN PAUL CRAFORD, MD<br \/>\nEMS Physician<br \/>\nHYPOTHERMIA AND ENVIRONMENTAL EMERGENCIES<br \/>\nNovember 7<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nTHE ONGOING SUBSTANCE ABUSE CRISIS<br \/>\nSeptember 5<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nGRAND ROUNDS<br \/>\nOctober 3<\/p>\n<p>MICHAEL GROSSMAN, MD<br \/>\nChief of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery<br \/>\nSt. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nJune 6<\/p>\n<p>DANIEL SACCHETTI, DO<br \/>\nNeurologist<br \/>\nStroke Director, St. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nEMS AND STROKE CARE<br \/>\nMay 2<\/p>\n<p>BRANDON FUMANTI, MD<br \/>\nSt. Luke&#8217;s Trauma Service<br \/>\nEMERGENCY TRAUMA CARE<br \/>\nApril 4<\/p>\n<p>NOSHEEN JAVED, MD<br \/>\nCardiologist<br \/>\nMedical Director, Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Charlton Memorial<br \/>\nCardiology Site Director, St. Luke&#8217;s<br \/>\nEMERGENCY CARDIAC CARE<br \/>\nMarch 7<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nCOVID-19 EMERGENCY OVER: WHAT WAS THAT?<br \/>\nFebruary 7<\/p>\n<p>GRAND ROUNDS<br \/>\nMATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nJanuary 12<\/p>\n<p><strong>2022<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>GRAND ROUNDS<br \/>\nMATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nDecember 22 at 11 a.m. at St. Luke&#8217;s<br \/>\nMcBratney Auditorium<\/p>\n<p>TACHYDYSRHYTHMIAS<br \/>\nMATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nNovember 14 at 11 a.m. at St. Luke&#8217;s<br \/>\nMcBratney Auditorium<\/p>\n<p>ADAM SALTZMAN, MD<br \/>\nCardiologist<br \/>\nSTEMI vs. Left Bundle Branch Block<br \/>\nOctober 13 at 5:30 p.m. at Charlton Memorial Hospital<br \/>\nElizabeth House Conference Room<\/p>\n<p>MICHAEL GROSSMAN, MD<br \/>\nTrauma Surgeon<br \/>\nChair, Trauma Surgery at St. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nTRAUMA ROUNDS<br \/>\nOctober 5 at 1 p.m. at St. Luke&#8217;s<br \/>\nMcBratney Auditorium<\/p>\n<p>DANIEL SACCHETTI, DO<br \/>\nNeurologist<br \/>\nStroke Director, St. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nEMS AND STROKE CARE<br \/>\nSeptember 6 at 11 a.m. at St. Luke&#8217;s<br \/>\nMcBratney Auditorium<\/p>\n<p>MICHAEL GROSSMAN, MD<br \/>\nTrauma Surgeon<br \/>\nChair, Trauma Surgery at St. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nTRAUMA ROUNDS<br \/>\nAugust 9 at 6 p.m. at <strong>Acushnet Fire &amp; EMS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>GABE GAO, MD<br \/>\nEmergency Physician<br \/>\nEMERGENCY EKG INTERPRETATION<br \/>\nJune 1, at 1 p.m., in McBratney Hall<\/p>\n<p>MICHAEL SANTONI, MD<br \/>\nEmergency Physician<br \/>\nEMS AND THE ALTERED PATIENT<br \/>\nMay 3 <a href=\"https:\/\/us06web.zoom.us\/j\/88989276498?pwd=eUZWL0xBUTRHaFRsaEZST3RXRnVOdz09\">on Zoom<\/a><\/p>\n<p>OSMAN FAHEEM, MD<br \/>\nCardiologist<br \/>\nCARDIOLOGY EMERGENCIES<br \/>\nApril 6\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/us06web.zoom.us\/j\/83109926344?pwd=ZldacnAzbHM1ZnlLVS96WTJsYTh4QT09\">on Zoom<\/a><\/p>\n<p>TRAUMA ROUNDS<br \/>\nMATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nMarch 1, at 11 a.m., in McBratney Hall!<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nEMS GRAND ROUNDS<br \/>\nFebruary 18, at 10 a.m., <em><strong>in McBratney Hall !<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nTXA IN TRAUMA<br \/>\nJanuary 18, 2022<\/p>\n<p><strong>2021<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>TEHNAZ BOYLE, MD, PhD<br \/>\nAssistant Professor<br \/>\nDepartment of Pediatrics<br \/>\nBoston University School of Medicine<br \/>\nBoston Medical Center<br \/>\nPEDIATRIC RESPIRATORY EMERGENCIES<br \/>\nDecember 15, 2021, at 10 a.m. <a href=\"https:\/\/us06web.zoom.us\/j\/6190138850?pwd=eXBBYzFQWVFGNlI5T2RTUTY0andqZz09\">on Zoom<\/a><\/p>\n<p>DANIEL SACCHETTI, DO<br \/>\nNeurologist<br \/>\nStroke Director, Southcoast Hospitals Group<br \/>\nEMS and STROKE CARE<br \/>\nNovember 23 at 10 a.m. <a href=\"https:\/\/us06web.zoom.us\/j\/89607358244?pwd=RlNha0E5R0pzU2ZKVW1HL0pQYWhlZz09#success\">on Zoom<\/a><\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nEKG interpretation: Is it a STEMI? What to do?<br \/>\nOctober 14 at 10 a.m. <a href=\"https:\/\/us06web.zoom.us\/j\/84458777421?pwd=a0ZpaTE1cDlBdk5OZ2FZbkJESGN2dz09\">on Zoom<\/a><\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\n&#8220;Evidence for Everything&#8221; in EMS<br \/>\nSeptember 21 at 12:30 p.m. <a href=\"https:\/\/us06web.zoom.us\/j\/81635398542?pwd=Sy8vU3laWGU2ajhjc05xYmc2cnBsUT09\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">on Zoom<\/a><\/p>\n<p>MICHAEL GROSSMAN, MD<br \/>\nTrauma Surgeon<br \/>\nChair, Trauma Surgery at St. Luke&#8217;s Hospital<br \/>\nPRE-HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT OF MAJOR TRAUMA<br \/>\nJune 17, 10 a.m. <a href=\"https:\/\/zoom.us\/j\/94544956465?pwd=VUloeVJhdUhmdmswQVRiTnJZeW1UQT09\">on Zoom<\/a><\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nTRANEXAMIC ACID IN EMS, and<br \/>\nTRAUMATIC CARDIAC ARREST<br \/>\nMay 18, at 10:30 a.m. <a href=\"https:\/\/zoom.us\/j\/6190138850?pwd=eXBBYzFQWVFGNlI5T2RTUTY0andqZz09\">on Zoom<\/a><\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nEMS PROVIDERS AND THE COVID-19 VACCINES: UPDATE, and<br \/>\nIV FLUIDS (CRYSTALLOIDS) IN EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/zoom.us\/j\/6190138850?pwd=eXBBYzFQWVFGNlI5T2RTUTY0andqZz09\">April 23, 10 a.m.\u00a0 on Zoom<\/a><\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nCARE OF THE COMBATIVE and\/or UNCOOPERATIVE PATIENT<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/zoom.us\/j\/94249677440?pwd=a1d2Sm0rTTNYamxIYnpFTnJnY2hqZz09\">March 25, 2:30 p.m.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nATRIAL FIBRILLATION IN EMS<br \/>\nFebruary 26<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nEMS PROVIDERS AND THE COVID-19 VACCINES<br \/>\nJanuary 22<\/p>\n<p><strong>2020 lectures<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>NOSHEEN JAVED, MD<br \/>\nCardiologist<br \/>\nMedical Director, Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Charlton Memorial<br \/>\nCardiology Site Director, St. Luke&#8217;s<br \/>\nEMERGENCY CARDIAC CARE<br \/>\nMarch 3<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nUPDATES ON NOVEL CORONAVIRUS WHO EMERGENCY, and<br \/>\nEMS AND DISASTER RESPONSE TO NUCLEAR POWER PLANT ACCIDENTS Feb 5<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nEMS and ACUTE STROKE DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT<br \/>\nJanuary 7<\/p>\n<p><strong>2019 lectures<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nOXYGEN: MEDICINE OR TOXIN?, and<br \/>\nEtCO2 USE IN EMS, and<br \/>\nREVIEW OF LIFENET EMS 12-LEAD EKGs<br \/>\nJanuary 8<\/p>\n<p>ATHENA XIFARAS, MD<br \/>\nPediatrician<br \/>\nPEDIATRIC RESPIRATORY &amp; INFECTIOUS EMERGENCIES<br \/>\nFebruary 6<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nBUNDLE BRANCH BLOCKS &amp; OTHER WIDE QRS EKGs<br \/>\nMarch 5<\/p>\n<p>JENNIFER POPE, MD<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nChair of St. Luke&#8217;s ED<br \/>\nEMS GRAND ROUNDS: M&amp;M REVIEW OF RECENT CASES<br \/>\nApril 3<\/p>\n<p>PETER DEMARCO<br \/>\nJournalist<br \/>\nEMS GRAND ROUNDS: HOW OUR 911 AND EMERGENCY CARE SYSTEMS FAILED MY WIFE, LAURA<br \/>\nMay 7<\/p>\n<p>ALEX HART, MD<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nOBSTETRIC EMERGENCIES FOR EMS<br \/>\nJune 5<\/p>\n<p>MICHAEL BARRETTI, DO<br \/>\nCritical Care Physician, Pulmonologist<br \/>\nChair of St. Luke&#8217;s ICU<br \/>\nARDS AND RESPIRATORY DISASTERS<br \/>\nOctober 2<\/p>\n<p>MICHAEL SANTONI, MD<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nPREHOSPITAL MANAGEMENT OF DYSPNEA<br \/>\nNovember 5<\/p>\n<p>SARAH MORRIS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nCRITICAL ILLNESS IN DIALYSIS PATIENTS<br \/>\nDecember 4<\/p>\n<p><strong>2018 lectures<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nEMS APPROACHES TO LVADs &amp; AICDs<br \/>\nJanuary 2<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nTRAUMATIC CARDIAC ARREST MANAGEMENT<br \/>\nFebruary 7<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nOXYGEN: MEDICINE OR TOXIN?<br \/>\nMarch 6<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nTHE OPIOID CRISIS: UPDATES AND OVERVIEW<br \/>\nApril 4<\/p>\n<p>NEIL HADFIELD, MD<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nUltrasound Director, St. Luke&#8217;s emergency department<br \/>\nULTRASOUND IN EMS: LECTURE AND PRACTICAL STATIONS<br \/>\nMay 1<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nEMS and ACUTE STROKE DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT<br \/>\nJune 6<\/p>\n<p>LAUREN FIELD, DO<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nREVIEW OF EMS EKGs<br \/>\nSeptember 4<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nLIGHTS AND SIRENS RESPONSE AS A MEDICAL INTERVENTION: REVIEW OF DATA, and,<br \/>\nREVIEW OF LIFENET EMS 12-LEAD EKGs<br \/>\nOctober 3<\/p>\n<p>BRIAN SARD, MD<br \/>\nPediatrician<br \/>\nChair, St. Luke&#8217;s Pediatric Emergency Department<br \/>\nPEDIATRIC TRAUMA CARE<br \/>\nNovember 6<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nM &amp; M ROUNDS<br \/>\nDecember 5<\/p>\n<p><strong>2017 lectures<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>MICHAEL BARRETTI, DO<br \/>\nICU Physician, Pulmonologist<br \/>\nBLEEDING TRACHEOSTOMIES AND OTHER AIRWAY DISASTERS<br \/>\nJanuary 3<\/p>\n<p>ROBERT MCARTHUR, MD<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nEVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH TO ACLS<br \/>\nFebruary 8<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nEND-TIDAL CO2 in EMS<br \/>\nMarch 7<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nTRAUMA CASE REVIEWS &amp; TXA ONE-YEAR UPDATE<br \/>\nApril 5<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nEMS &amp; NUCLEAR DISASTERS<br \/>\nMay 2<\/p>\n<p>JP CRAFORD, MD<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nEMERGENT MANAGEMENT OF BURNS<br \/>\nJune 7<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nM&amp;M ROUNDS<br \/>\nSeptember 5<\/p>\n<p>KYLE CARLSON<br \/>\nFirefighter<br \/>\nEMERGENCY MEDICAL RESPONSE TO ACTIVE SHOOTER EVENTS<br \/>\nOctober 4<\/p>\n<p>MICHAEL ROCHA, MD<br \/>\nCardiologist<br \/>\nHEALTH AND WELLNESS IN EMS<br \/>\nNovember 7<\/p>\n<p>MICHAEL SANTONI, MD<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nTOXIC INGESTIONS<br \/>\nDecember 6<\/p>\n<p><strong>2016 lectures<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>ANDREW GELLER, MD<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nCARDIAC ARREST, &amp; INTUBATIONS: SCIENTIFIC UPDATES<br \/>\nJanuary 5<\/p>\n<p>GIBSON McCULLAGH, EMT-P<br \/>\nJAMES DiCLEMENTE, EMT-P<br \/>\nProEMS, Cambridge<br \/>\nEPI CHECK &amp; INJECT KITS: A SPECIAL PROJECT WAIVER FOR ANAPHYLAXIS, and<br \/>\nPROEMS INVESTIGATION OF DIFFICULTIES WITH AN EMERGENT CRICOTHYROTOMY DEVICE<br \/>\nFebruary 3<\/p>\n<p>BRIAN SARD, MD<br \/>\nPediatrician<br \/>\nChair, St. Luke&#8217;s Pediatric Emergency Department<br \/>\nPEDIATRIC EMERGENCIES<br \/>\nMarch 1<\/p>\n<p>SARAH HARKNESS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nANAPHYLAXIS<br \/>\nApril 6<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nTRAUMA CASE REVIEWS &amp; TXA UPDATES<br \/>\nMay 3<\/p>\n<p>RYAN MCTAGGART, MD<br \/>\nNeuro IR<br \/>\nRhode Island Hospital stroke service<br \/>\nNEW APPROACH TO LARGE-VESSEL OCCLUSIVE STROKES<br \/>\nJune 1<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nTOXICOLOGY UPDATES FOR EMS<br \/>\nSeptember 6<\/p>\n<p>SARAH MORRIS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nAIRWAY TOOLS &amp; TECHNIQUES<br \/>\nOctober 5<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nUPDATE ON NEW OEMS 2016 PROTOCOL CHANGES<br \/>\nNovember 1<\/p>\n<p>ATHENA XIFARAS, MD<br \/>\nPediatrician<br \/>\nPEDIATRIC RESPIRATORY EMERGENCIES<br \/>\nDecember 7<\/p>\n<p><strong>2015 lectures<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>ANDREW GELLER, MD<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nCARDIO-CEREBRAL RESUSCITATION<br \/>\nJanuary 6<\/p>\n<p>LAUREN GALLAGHER, MD<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nOB\/GYN EMERGENCIES<br \/>\nFebruary 4<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nSYNCOPE &amp; THE EKG<br \/>\nMarch 3<\/p>\n<p>NEIL HADFIELD, MD<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nSHOULD EMS CARRY TRANEXAMIC ACID FOR TRAUMA? (AND OTHER LATEST SCIENCE ON TRAUMA MANAGEMENT)<br \/>\nApril 7<\/p>\n<p>BRIAN SARD, MD<br \/>\nPediatrician<br \/>\nChair of St. Luke&#8217;s Pedi ED<br \/>\nPEDIATRIC EMERGENCIES<br \/>\nMay 5<\/p>\n<p>JENNIFER POPE, MD<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nChair of St. Luke&#8217;s<br \/>\nED DRUG OVERDOSES<br \/>\nJune 3<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nOXYGEN: MEDICINE OR TOXIN?, and<br \/>\nBACKBOARDS: TREATMENT OR TORTURE?<br \/>\nSeptember 1<\/p>\n<p>LAUREN CATALDO, DO<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nHEAD &amp; CERVICAL SPINE TRAUMA<br \/>\nOctober 7<\/p>\n<p>TERRANCE LEE, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center<br \/>\nHOT &amp; COLD: ENVIRONMENTAL EMERGENCIES<br \/>\nNovember 3<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nPACERS, DEFIB\u2019ERS, LVADs<br \/>\nDecember 3<\/p>\n<p><strong>2014 lectures<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nPACERS, DEFIB\u2019ERS, LVADs<br \/>\nJanuary 7<\/p>\n<p>SARAH MORRIS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nNEURO EMERGENCIES<br \/>\nFebruary 5<\/p>\n<p>CURT MELLO, MD<br \/>\nICU Physician, Pulmonologist<br \/>\nRESPIRATORY ILLNESSES<br \/>\nMarch 4<\/p>\n<p>MITCHEL SKLAR, MD<br \/>\nCardiologist<br \/>\nMedical Director of Charlton Cardiac Cath Lab<br \/>\nSTEMI RECOGNITION<br \/>\nApril 16<\/p>\n<p>BRIAN SARD, MD<br \/>\nPediatrician<br \/>\nChair of St. Luke&#8217;s Pedi ED<br \/>\nPEDIATRIC EMERGENCIES<br \/>\nMay 6<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nGRAND ROUNDS \/ Review of Cases<br \/>\nJune 11<\/p>\n<p>DAVID HARRINGTON, MD<br \/>\nTrauma Surgeon<br \/>\nHead of Rhode Island Burn Center<br \/>\nEMERGENT CARE OF BURNS<br \/>\nSeptember 2<\/p>\n<p>MICHAEL SANTONI, MD<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nCARE OF THE HOSTILE \/ AGITATED PATIENT<br \/>\nOctober 8<\/p>\n<p>MATT BIVENS, MD<br \/>\nED Physician, EMS Medical Director<br \/>\nEBOLA, FLU, BLOOD-BORNE PATHOGENS AND OTHER INFECTIOUS DISEASE ISSUES<br \/>\nNovember 5<\/p>\n<p>MICHAEL BUGGIA, MD<br \/>\nED Physician<br \/>\nHYPOTHERMIA &amp; DROWNINGS<br \/>\nDecember 2<\/p>\n<h3>Articles of Interest<\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/ems-spotlight\/\">EMS Spotlight<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/southcoast-health-donates-equipment-to-fairhaven-and-two-other-regional-ambulance-services\/\">Southcoast Health Donates Cardiac Monitors to Fairhaven EMS<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/southcoast-health-donates-equipment-to-regional-ambulance-services\/\">Southcoast Health Donates Cardiac Monitors to Newport EMS<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/southcoast-health-donates-equipment-to-westport-and-two-other-regional-ambulance-services\/\">Southcoast Health Donates Cardiac Monitors to Westport EMS<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.southcoast.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Is-TXA-a-Lifesaving-Drug-That\u2019s-Too-Cheap-to-Bother-Using-Journal-of-Emergency-Medical-Services.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Is TXA a Lifesaving Drug That\u2019s Too Cheap to Bother Using?<\/a><br \/>\nA January 2018 review in <em>JEMS, the Journal of EMS, <\/em>of collaboration between St. Luke&#8217;s Hospital and the municipal 911 systems of New Bedford, Acushnet, Fairhaven, as well as the private ambulance services Alert and EasCare, in pioneering use of tranexamic acid for trauma care. As the article recounts, this work led to changes in state-wide 911 trauma treatment protocols in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.southcoasttoday.com\/news\/20171230\/southcoast-man-of-year-matthew-bivens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">St. Luke&#8217;s Emergency Department Physician Named Standard Times Man of the Year for 2017<\/a><br \/>\n<em>The Standard-Times<\/em> recognized Dr. Matt Bivens for his work providing medical oversight of 911 services in our region.<\/p>\n                    <\/div>\n\n                    \n                    <div class=\"ctaWrap ctaCenter\">\n                                                                                                        \n                                                                                                                            <\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n            \n\n            \n\n            \t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-276848","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - 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