General BroadCAST

Cardiac arrest is a situation that as paramedics and ambulance staff we are well prepared for. However, training can sometimes be limited around return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). What is post ROSC syndrome? How much adrenaline should we give to support blood pressure? and what is the latest evidence around theraputic hypothermia? This month we're looking at the phase after cardiac arrest,...

Impact brain apnoea is the cessation or disruption of the inate breathing mechanism following a blow to the head. Its possible for this to result in the death of patients without any visible damage to the brain or surrounding blood vessels. This month we discuss this, the development of a hypoxic brain injury, the resultant catecholamine release or catacholamine "storm" and what ambulance crews an...

Prehospital Traumatic Cardiac Arrest (TCA) is a rare and particularly stressful presentation to paramedics and emergency clinicians. We should be comfortable with the different algorithm rescusers should use in resuscitation and understand the reasonings for modifications in these low output states in trauma. So, why dont we do chest compressions in a traumatic cardiac arrest? Should TCA's be give...

Pulmonary Embolism is a common emergency presentation to paramedics and emergency medicine clinicians. We discuss why PEs cause right ventricular strain, the types of PE from massive, to submassive and subsegmental, how to work up and diagnose pulmonary embolism, how do D-Dimers work? and what are the high risk pulmonary embolism criteria. Find the references and other episodes at www.generalbroad...

All diving represents a hazard, as humans we're not designed to live under water. The deeper divers go and the longer they dive for, the greater the potential risks. Although the bends or decompression sickness, arterial gas embolisims and other diving related emergencies arent the most common presentation to emergency care clinicians. We thought it would be good to revise this medical presenation...

We all make mistakes, its a natural part of the course of being human. What matters is that we're honest about these, learn from them and feel safe in a just culture where the focus will be on learning, rather than on puishment. We spoke with consultant paramedic Andy Collen, author of the fantastic book "Decision making in paramedic practice" and medicines and prescribing project lead for the col...

Patient safety should be the key aim at the heart of any healthcare system, including the NHS. Yet we know that every single day, patients come to avoidable harm as a result of errors and mistakes. Human Factors and CRM have become increasingly common schools of thought after the tragic Elaine Bromley case. This month we look at the Human Factors at play in a pre-hospital RTC case study and consid...

Heroin overdose or other opiate poisoning is an emergency that most paramedics and ambulance staff will be familiar with. However, there are some elements that can cause uncertainty for responders. What comes first CPR or naloxone? What are the signs of an opioid emergency? How much naloxone do you give to someone suffering from opioid toxicity? This month we look at all that and more! Find the ar...

Content Warning This podcast features discussion of suicide and hanging. Hanging is one of the most common methods of suicide in the western world. Ambualnce crew are likely to come across these cases in the course of their work and so it is important that we understand the pathophysiology and managment of them. This month we discuss how hanging causes cardiac arrest, clarrify commonly used terms,...

Ankle injuries present to ambulance staff across a wide spectrum, from the minor soft tissue injury that can be discharged on scene, to the fracture dislocation. We need to be confident in assessing and managing the full spectrum of these injuries, This month we talk about manipulating fractures, prophylactic antibiotics, as well as how to decide which injuries need an x-ray and what advice to giv...

Asthma is the most common lung pathology in the UK. Managing exacerbations of the disease is something paramedics and emergency teams should be well versed in. In this months episode we review the pathophysiology, look at the different severities of exacerbation that may present to ambulance crews, discuss what types of patient are suitable for discharge as well as looking at the treatments we can...

Its a topic that's been in the news a lot recently. This year is seeing a particularly high number of Strep A infections in the UK, this naturally translates to a higher number of complications and cases of invasive group A strep. Thats why this month we're taking a deep dive into all of it, we'll cover how to recognise strep throat and scarlet fever, as well as what we need to do if we suspect ou...

This month we discuss how to get the best out of remote clinical support or "top cover" calls. There are a number of human factors issues that can be at play for paramedics making emergency and urgent care clinical support phone calls, and as we discuss, optimising the situation so that advisors can provide the best advice, starts with those who are asking. find the article and other episodes at w...

This month we're looking at headaches, this is a condition with a wide range of causes, from the seemingly benign migraines and tension headache to more sinister causes such as the infamous " thunder clap headache" Find the article and other episodes at www.generalbroadcast.org.uk

This month we're taking a look at Epistaxis. It's a common presentation with a varied degree of severity. You might not think there's much to learn about managing a nose bleed, but that's where you'd be wrong. There's a number of things we need to consider when assessing these patients and several treatment options to consider. Find the article and our other podcasts at www.generalbroadcast.org.uk

This month we're back from our break and we're tackling a topic that is known to make even the most experienced practitioners a bit flustered...Tracheostomy emergencies. The number of Tracheostomies and Larnygectomies in the UK is increasing and so is our chance of being called to a Tracheostomy emergency. These can be high-stress situations, that require time-critical intervention, thats why this...

Pre-Hospital Emergency Anaesthesia, or PHEA for short, is the term used to describe a rapid sequence induction, or anaesthetic, in the pre-hospital emergency environment. its important that the team performing it, are familiar with the procedure. Of course, the PHEA team does not just stop at the critical care providers who carry the drugs… Every paramedic, technician and care assistant on the job...

Frailty is a term we commonly encounter in urgent and emergency care, but can you actually define it? Have you been taught to use frailty scores, and do you know what they're for? This month we've partnered with the fantastic MDTea podcast to look at the subject. As always, find the article at www.generalbroadcast.org.uk and check out the other fantastic resources from the MDTea at: http://thehear...

Silver trauma is the term that is most commonly used to describe trauma in older patients. It is often used to refer to major trauma in this patient group and rates of major trauma in the over 65s are rising. This month we're looking at the physiological changes that occur with ageing and trying to understand how these impact our older patients who suffer trauma. Check out the article and previous...

This is the second episode in a two-part series on COPD. In this episode, we look at the differential diagnosis to consider to a simple exacerbation, the ambulance management as well as recent changes to national paramedic guidelines, and the management options. Find the article and our other podcasts on www.generalbroadcast.org.uk/

COPD is a terminal condition believed to affect as much as 4% of the UK populace. These patients often present to ambulance crews with an exacerbation in symptoms. In this episode, we look at the pathophysiology of COPD, causes and diagnosis as well as the assessment of acute shortness of breath in these patients. Find the article and our other podcasts on https://www.generalbroadcast.org.uk/

When you think of Paediatrics medicine, the presentation of fever is probably not far behind. This is a common finding by paramedics and ambulance staff need to be confident in their assessment and management of this patient group. Thats why this month we're tackling paediatric fever, with the help from paediatrics consultant Dr Wajeeh Khattam. Find the Article at www.generalbroadcast.org.uk

Whilst Aortic Pathologies may not be the most common emergency condition paramedics are presented with, they are most definitely among the most devastating. Atherosclerotic degenerative aneurysms and aortic dissection are often misunderstood and misdiagnosed and they can present a number of challenges to clinicians in the pre-hospital arena. So, this month, we're looking at some Aortic disease pat...

Discharging a patient is one of the riskier areas of practice for paramedics and ambulance clinicians, so it is essential that we appropriately safety net our patients and do this well, to protect them and ourselves. In This months podcast we look at how we can make discharging out patients safer. Read the article at: https://www.generalbroadcast.org.uk/

This month we take a look at a paediatric condition...Bronchiolitis. We discuss the pathophysiology of the disease, how paramedics and ambulance staff can assess and manage these children and what the evidence suggests are the most appropriate treatment plans. Read the article at www.generalbroadcast.org.uk General BroadCAST is a free online CPD podcast for paramedics, students and other ambulance...