June 8
An ambulance crew’s quick actions saved a woman suffering from a severe reaction to medication.
Ambulance 726, a B-CC Rescue Squad ambulance stationed at Bethesda Fire Department Station 26 on Democracy Blvd., was dispatched at 1925 hours for a report of trouble breathing in a middle aged woman at her residence near Montgomery Mall. They arrived on scene to find a woman who had been to the oral surgeon earlier in the day, and appeared to be having a bad reaction to some of the medications he had given her. She was speaking in gasps and hyperventilating due to the difficulty she was having in breathing.
Prior to the arrival of an engine company with a paramedic, the crew assessed the patient’s symptoms and learned of her medical history, including the oral surgery earlier in the day. They concluded that she was suffering from a severe allergic reaction and anaphylactic shock and began to administer oxygen at 15 liters per minute through a non-rebreather mask.
Recognizing the potential allergic reaction, they also quickly administered a dose of epinephrine using an EpiPen®. This led to a textbook reaction, with bodily shaking and an increased heart rate, while apparently reducing the swelling to the respiratory system. The patient’s breathing slowed down by the time the engine company with a paramedic arrived, and she was doing significantly better by the time the medic was able to evaluate her.
With the rapid improvement in the patient’s condition, the paramedic concluded that no advanced life support intervention was needed; however, the paramedic accompanied Ambulance 726 as they transported the woman to the hospital.
