The following column recounts an actual patient case involving a critical care transport. Minor details of the case may be changed solely to protect the privacy of the patient. The initial presentation and treatment will be described and followed by several questions in this issue. Readers are invited to submit responses to the questions and other thoughts/comments to David Ross, DO, at DRDR0682@aol.com. In the next issue, relevant reader responses will be published.
We will conclude the case in the next issue with a discussion of how the patient was actually managed, the outcome, a review of the related medical literature, and interviews with medical/transport experts where appropriate. We strongly encourage reader participation.
1 David W. Ross, DO, FACEP, is a former flight medical director and the current medical director of numerous ground EMS agencies in the Colorado Springs area. An emergency physician at Penrose Hospital.
2 Carol Wichman, BSN, MSN, a former flight nurse, has been a site reviewer for the Commission on Accreditation for Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) and has authored a number or articles and textbook chapters.
3 Mike MacKinnon, BSN, CEN, CCRN, CCFRN, is a flight nurse and a former paramedic trained in Nova Scotia, Canada. He created and maintains an interactive case review series at www.flightweb.com