Heatwave in London

Now I'm not sure what weather conditions are like around the world, but here in London, its so hot, we've got a heatwave! Yes, you read that right. A heatwave in London. Saturday was the hottest with the temperature hitting 30oC. I was working in Hyde Park that day at the Barclaycard British Summer Time Concert, and I had so many patients that had problem either as a direct result of the heat or the heat contributed.

Lots of heat related illness can be prevented by drinking water, as a rule try to drink around 1.5 litres a day. 

What are the problems caused by a heatwave?

There are three main problems that are caused by a heatwave;  Dehydratation , Heat exhuastion and Heatstroke.

Dehydratation

This occurs as result of a person not drinking enough water. If you think a person is suffering for dehydration, then let the person rest in a shaded/cool area and give them lots of water to drink. Try to avoid caffeinated or fizzy drinks.

Heat exhuastion

This occurs when a person's temperature is between 37oC ( your normal body temperature) and 40oC. People with heat exhaustion normally are very tired, have a rapid pulse, feel dizzy and feel sick (nausea). The treatment is the same as dehydration. Cool the person and rehydrate the person.  

The effect caused by changes in body temperature  

Heatstroke

Heatstroke is very serious. The symptoms of heatstroke are a rapid pulse, paid breathing and a temperature over 40oC.  In some cases person are also confused, anxious and may fall unconscious. If you suspect someone has heatstroke call 999 immediately. While you're waiting for the ambulance to arrive, give the person lots of water to drink , additionally you could also place damp sheet on them or spray them with water to cool them down.  

Who's at risk during a heatwave?

Pretty much everyone, but the people that are more susceptible are: 

• Older people (<70 years old)
• Babies and young children
• People with chronic heart or lungs problems
• People who are physically active
• People who misuse drugs and/or alcohol

In the hot weather, many people faint due to not staying hydrated (90% of my calls on Saturday were "Patient fainted and feeling unwell") . Should someone faint/feel faint near you here's what you do:

• Lie them down
• Raise their legs 
• Give them water
• Get rid of people (politely) that don't need to be there as this could make the person more anxious.  

Try to stay in the shade as often as you can and keep drinking cold drinks avoid  tea,coffee and alcohol. And try to enjoy the sun, you don't get it that often in England. 

There's one golden rule during a heatwave.....!!!STAY HYDRATED!!!

Fruther infomation

http://www.sja.org.uk/sja/about-us/latest-news/heatwave-advice.aspx

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Summerhealth/Pages/Heatwave.aspx

Code STEMI

I have always found cardiology interesting and always wanted to study it at university and then work in a cardiology department. Working with SJA allowed me to gain more knowledge as the doctors and nurses often taught about how a cardiology department works and what are the common heart problems that are treated.
On the occasions I've worked alongside the LAS (e.g. Notting Hill, NYE), they've explained to me about how the Lifepak 12 (a machine that can do ECGs, act as defibrillator and monitor the patient e.g. O2 stats, BP, pulse) has helped them to diagnose and treat cardiac problems far more effectively.

While I reading Insomnia Medic's blog (http://www.insomniacmedic.com), I came across his post on Code STEMI, a documentary made in conjunction with the LAS. This documentary will show how cardiac arrest survival rates have increased dramatically. The LAS are the busiest emergency medical service (EMS) in the world with 250+ ambulances, 100-120 fast response units, and motorcycles,bikes and a helicopter standing by ready to deal with the 4,000 calls (on average) its receives each day. You hear the views from the cardiac arrest survivors, paramedics,cardiologist and a nurse giving you an in-depth insight into what happens from the moment a STEMI is identified to the moment when the patient returns to normal.

Hold up,what's a STEMI?

STEMI stands for ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction. I'll break it down further and explain each part.

ST Elevation refers to elevation of the ST segment of a PQRST complex on an ECG. An ECG measures the electrical activity in the heart. The ST segment represents the electrical activity when blood is pumped out of your heart. An ST Elevation indicates that your heart is having to pump a lot harder than normal to pump blood out of the heart,which means that there is a blockage which is impeding normal blood flow.

Normal ECG

ECG of a STEMI

Myocardial Infarction is a heart attack that results from an interruption in the blood supply causing some of the hear (cardiac) cells to die.
Myocardial - pertaining to the heart muscle
Infarction - tissue death caused by an obstruction in the blood supply causing a lack of oxygen

Code STEMI Documentary

Useful Links
http://www.insomniacmedic.com - Where this great Code STEMI documentary was discovered
http://firstrespondersnetwork.com/codestemi - The Code STEMI documentary website
https://twitter.com/Ldn_Ambulance - Twitter feed for the LAS, lots of relavent stuff on there
Twitter Hastag: #CodeSTEMI

Thank you

I would like use this post to thank you, the reader. The number of page views has exceeded 500 (it was a personal target of mine). I know my posting frequency is random, which is partially my fault but mainly it is because I have a lots of assignments and because I'm working a lot. And thanks to all of you, this blog is truly global.

And it wouldn't be fair to do a thank you post without mentioning +Brish M. She is the author of keytonutrition.blogspot.co.uk, my inspiration, my biggest supporter and the reason I started blogging.

I hope my blog, "The Life of a Volunteer Medic" has given you a slight insight into what I do and some basic first aid knowledge. Rest assured more topics are coming, and my posts will be more regular (education and work permitting).

Thank you again for reading guys and girls and remember if you have any questions,comment or just wish to express an opinion about the blog (good or bad - all comments are welcome), use the contact me page at the top of the blog.

Shock

Let me start with a question, which person below do think is suffering from shock?

                  

The answer is both of them. Our friend on the left is suffering from psychological shock (maybe she saw that this blog has a global audience), and our friend on the right is suffering from medical shock.

What is medical shock?

Shock is a life-threatening condition where important organs like the brain and heart are are deprived or have low oxygen levels.

How do I know if someone is suffering from shock?

If a person is bleeding quite severely or if there is a chance they may have sustained a spinal injury, there is a high chance that they may go into shock.
The symptoms of shock are:

• Pale face
• Fast, shallow breathing
• A fast weak pulse
• Cold, clammy skin
• Sighing or yawning

Sometimes a person suffering from shock can become unconsciousness.

How do I treat someone who is suffering from shock?

How To Treat Shock

Should I call an ambulance, and what do I tell them?

Call 999 and ask for an ambulance. Your response should be along the lines of  the following template.
"A  _(age and gender)_  is suffering from shock, she has sustained a _(the type of  injury e.g. head wound)_ and _(any other information which could be useful)_.
Don't worry the emergency medical dispatcher (the guy on the right), will prompt you and ask you questions to help you.

Here's an example. (I've put some of it in green to give a better idea of what is the most information they require).
A 21 year old female is suffering from shock, she has a head wound which is bleeding severely, she
also feels slightly dizzy. I'm opposite Wimbledon station, in front of the Starbucks.

Now you should know:

• the symptoms of shock
• how to treat shock
• and what to tell the emergency medical dispatcher

Thanks for reading.  If you have any questions, comments or just wish to express an opinion about the blog, use the contact me page at the top of the blog.

New Years Eve

Happy New Year Guys and Guys! 2013 is here! Hope everyone enjoyed NYE and had fun!

I was at a treatment centre at Waterloo station (well outside it, rather than in it but you get the picture), and I treated quite a few intoxicated patients. One things, that several other medics at various treatment centres and I came across was that lots of intoxicated patients had come with friends, but those friends had abandoned them when they became ill or unconscious. SERIOUSLY???

"Faithful in Adversity"- Royal Army Medical Corps motto

You should always remember that motto when going out drinking with the intention of getting drunk. As stated in my previous post "The Effect and Consequences of Mixing Drugs and Alcohol", the friend or person with the intoxicated patient is sometimes more useful to us (the medical personnel). As sometimes the patient might either not remember/refuse to tell what and how much they've drunk, in which case the friend can tell us what they've drunk allowing us to treat more effectively.

My journey home was interesting after NYE celebrations (think I got the train at about 0450), got onto the train and a group of drunk people started clapping and hugging me and saying thank you!

Anyways, 2013 is here! I hope you have a great year! I'm ready for 2013, SO LET'S DO THIS!