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This Week in EMS: A Recap for Dec. 16 - 22, 2006
A major development for the U.S. EMS community was announced this week: the Secretary of Transportation has established a National Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council (NEMSAC).
The council will advise the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of EMS on matters such as needs assessment, standards, planning, data collection, training and education.
A notice appeared this week in the Federal Register to inform those interested about the new committee and to invite the submission of comments and applications for membership.
This announcement has major implications for the nation's EMS community. Many industry advocates have been calling for better federal leadership and representation, on par with police and firefighters. Suggestions have included the creation of a dedicated EMS agency like the US Fire Administration or moving EMS from NHTSA to a different existing federal agency. Others advocate working within the current system.
Whatever the future holds for EMS leadership, the creation of this new advisory council promises to make the most of the current system. Industry leaders and providers should take advantage of this new opportunity to be heard.
Note that comments on NEMSAC and applications or nominations for membership must be received February 16, 2007. Twenty-six members will be chosen.
Others will be able to contribute to the work of NEMSAC by getting on the NEMSAC mailing list, submitting written comments, and attending NEMSAC meetings.
To learn more about NEMSAC and how to comment or apply, read the article on EMSResponder.com: National EMS Advisory Committee Established.
Other major EMS news this week involved new medical supplies.
First, the FDA has approved a treatment for cyanide poisoning, which most commonly occurs as a result of smoke inhalation at fires. The drug kit could also be used to treat patients in the event of a terrorist attack involving cyanide.
The Cyanokit has already been in use in France for more than a decade. It includes the drug hydroxocobalamin, intravenous tubing and a sterile spike for reconstituting the drug product with salt water. In the presence of cyanide, Cyanokit's active drug takes up the cyanide and becomes a form of vitamin B12, according to the FDA.
For more on Cyanokit visit this article and its related link: FDA OKs Kit to Treat Cyanide Poisoning.
Progress on the use of another new medical supply looks less promising. The company hoping to be the first to market a blood substitute reported that 46 patients in a study died after being given the substitute, compared to 35 under standard treatment. A total of 722 patients were studied, with 349 patients receiving the blood substitute and 363 getting the standard therapy of saline solution in the ambulance and donor blood in the hospital.
Experts interviewed in the article disagreed over whether the findings on Polyheme are statistically significant. Northfield Laboratories said the company plans to move forward in submitting their data to the FDA.
For more on this topic read: Preliminary Data on Blood Substitute Grim.
The top issue in EMS operations this week comes out of D.C. where the EMS union is raising its voice over the installation of cameras and microphones in ambulances.
The purpose of the equipment is to record driving accidents, and it has already exonerated one driver and shown that another driver had fallen asleep. However, the camera can see into the patient compartment and can be operated manually, which EMS workers say is a breach of patient confidentiality. Detectives recently tried to get access to the equipment while investigating the case of a woman who was set on fire.
EMS union leaders are also concerned about recordings being made and distributed unethically. Although it wasn't discussed in this story, some EMS workers may also be concerned about their own privacy.
For more on this issue, read the article and watch the video news report: Ambulance Cameras Concern DC EMS Crews.
Other top headlines on EMSResponder.com this week:
