Trauma on the Border 2018

Synopsis: The misconception that traumatic cardiac arrest is uniformly fatal has pervaded emergency services for many years. This presentation will examine the evidence and myths surrounding the resuscitation of the traumatic cardiac arrest patient, examine specific physical processes that occur during the decompensation phase and review the evidence of which treatments are beneficial, as well as those not supported by current evidence.

Biography: Erin McDonald is a critical care paramedic who has worked within Queensland Ambulance Service in primarily front-line clinical roles for 12 years. Erin is currently stationed in the Sunshine Coast region and works as a single, rapid response paramedic. She has also been fortunate enough to work intermittently with the Australian Army in a supportive medical capacity. Erin’s interests are primarily in the continued education of front-line paramedics, looking at human error factors and ECG interpretation.

Erin is a critical care paramedic and is currently stationed in the Sunshine Coast region and works as a single, rapid response paramedic.