7:00am to 8:00am
An Emergency Triage Tool for Water Rescue
Dr. David Jaslow | Pennsylvania Region 3 Swiftwater Rescue Team

CONED: 0.5 Clinical Patient Care and 0.5 Other
SPONSORED BY AHN LifeFlight
Climate change and overdevelopment lead to an increased risk of flash flooding, the #1 cause of death among civilians and a significant risk for morbidity and mortality among emergency responders during natural disasters in Pennsylvania. Unlike most other technical rescue disciplines in which you can call a specialty team with experts to handle difficult incidents or clinical decisions, including victims who want to refuse care, water rescue is largely a local phenomenon. The closest agencies will have to act quickly or victim conditions may worsen. Few EMS personnel have formal water rescue training and most water rescue courses do not focus on victim medical evaluation or define the need for transport. When faced with multiple victims and/or ill/injured responders and potentially limited resources during swiftwater rescue incidents, how do you know who requires care? Join Dr. Jaslow as he presents the world's first triage algorithm for swiftwater rescue. This tool can be executed by any first responder with minimal medical training in less than 60 seconds and it doesn't require vital signs, a detailed history or a hands-on physical exam! A copy of the tool will be provided to each attendee upon completion of the lecture. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.


8:00am to 9:00am
The Yin and Yang of Life in Trauma Care
Dr. Andrew Peitzman | University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

CONED: 1.0 Other
SPONSORED BY Excela Health
After decades in the medical service, Dr. Peitzman will share his experiences with you on how to balance your work and personal life. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

Trauma in Children
David LaCovey | UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

CONED: 1.0 Clinical Patient Care
SPONSORED BY Quick Med Claims
To prepare the EMS provider with skills and knowledge to improve their recognition and treatment of the pediatric trauma patient.  Pediatric patient case reviews will be used to emphasize prehospital care experiences that resulted in positive and negative outcomes. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.


9:15am to 10:15am
Identification and Treatment of Prehospital Sepsis: Past, Present and Future
Dr. Emily Brant | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

CONED: 1.0 Clinical Patient Care
Sepsis is defined as a dysregulated host immune response to infection, resulting in organ injury. More than 1.7 million cases of sepsis occur in the United States every year, and 1 in 5 patients will not survive. You care for more than half of sepsis patients, and on average, for more than 45 minutes. Because early recognition and treatment of sepsis can reduce avoidable deaths, there is growing focus on identification and treatment of sepsis patients during prehospital care. We review the PIPeLINE effort, an NIH-funded prospective cohort study from transported patients at risk for sepsis. We describe how biomarkers collected during prehospital care in combination with clinical variables (e.g., vital signs and GCS) may aid in identification of patients at risk for sepsis and guide prehospital interventions. We also discuss the role of Artificial Intelligence in the treatment of patients with early sepsis. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

Caring for the Entrapped and Crushed Patient
Dr. Jeffrey Nusbaum | UPMC Prehospital Care

CONED: 1.0 Clinical Patient Care
SPONSORED BY AHN LifeFlight
From mine shafts to overturned cars to being wedged between the toilet and the vanity - patients have a knack for finding themselves trapped in some of the most precarious positions.  Treating patients in these scenarios involves unique skills and awareness to avoid causing further deterioration to the patient during both the rescue and the resuscitation.  We'll review care for the entrapped patient, interventions to properly monitor, resuscitate, and transport the entrapped and/or crushed patient. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.


10:30am to 11:30am
From Freedom House to Now: A History of EMS in Western PA and the World
Dr. Nicholas George | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

CONED: 1.0 Other
SPONSORED BY Innovative Public Safety
An hour-long look at how a group of African-American men from the Hill District of Pittsburgh became one of the first groups of paramedics in the world, changing the landscape of EMS forever. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

Breaking Bad: Care of Orthopedic Injuries
Dr. Ivan Tarkin | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

CONED: 1.0 Clinical Patient Care
SPONSORED BY EMS West
Orthopedic injuries present many treatment pathways for EMS providers to consider: position of immobilization, use of traction splinting, need for pain control. Dr. Tarkin uses a case based approach to review the best management strategies for orthopedic injuries. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.


11:45am to 12:45pm
Adult Trauma Assessment - A Systematic Approach to Patient Evaluation
Dr. Walt Stoy | University of Pittsburgh

CONED: 1.0 Clinical Patient Care
Walt will share information and demonstrate with the assistance of participants of how to think about evaluation of adult trauma patients. From scene size up, primary assessment, secondary assessment and on-going assessment of patients presenting with traumatic injuries, this session shall speak to matters that affect every provider presented with these types of patient scenarios. This gathering is an opportunity to review situations and gain knowledge and skills on how to approach future adult patient who present with trauma. No power point, just talking, showing and sharing about patients that need to be assessed. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.


1:15pm to 2:15pm
What Saves Lives During Active Shooter Events?
Dr. Ronald Roth | University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

CONED: 1.0 Clinical Patient Care
SPONSORED BY Excela Health
On 10/27/2018 a single gunman entered the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. In the aftermath, after action reports identified several factors that saved lives during the tragedy. Sharing these findings has the potential to save lives should tragedy strike in other locations. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels

Best Practices for Transgender and Non-Binary Patients
Charlie Borowicz | Allegheny Health Network

CONED: 1.0 Clinical Patient Care
SPONSORED BY Allegheny Health Network
Emergency responders strive to provide excellent care to all patients regardless of who they are. However, many still have questions about when and how to ask questions about gender identity. This course explains many common terms as well as medical considerations for transgender and non-binary patients. Pre-hospital providers are trained to treat the body, but also benefit from knowing the unique medical needs of transgender people, and can improve interactions through simple language changes. This course offers up-to-date information tailored for EMS. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.


2:30pm to 3:30pm
Psychological Trauma in our Patients: Another Type of Shock!
Bradley Dean | Rowan County Emergency Services

CONED: 1.0 Clinical Patient Care
SPONSORED BY Conemaugh MedStar/Air Methods
EMS providers know the signs and symptoms of various kinds of shock, but can we identify those of psychological shock?  Stress injuries may be seen in patients who may have just experienced a traumatic incident.  Immediate intervention following the physical trauma may help prevent the traumatic event from becoming a permanent psychological injury.  This presentation reviews how the brain processes traumatic events, and what we can do as EMS providers to help persons suffering from both physical and psychological trauma. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

Pediatric Pain Management in the Prehospital Setting
Dr. Mark Hincapie | UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

CONED: 1.0 Clinical Patient Care
SPONSORED BY AHN LifeFlight
Prehospital care focuses on stabilization of potential life threatening injuries and illnesses. Recognition of pain has been recognized by the National Association of EMS and the American Academy of Pediatrics as an important recommendation in care but can easily go undertreated in both the prehospital care and emergency room settings. There are several nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic modalities. Optimizing knowledge in analgesia will increase comfort in providing adequate analgesia in the prehospital setting and optimize patient care. Quality improvement methods can be utilized to improve prehospital pain interventions. There are newer modalities that may be controversial but are certainly cutting-edge and may evolve in the coming years. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.


3:45pm to 4:45pm
Finger Prickin' Good
Bradley Dean | Rowan County Emergency Services

CONED: 1.0 Clinical Patient Care
SPONSORED BY Brady Lippert Productions
One of the most common complaints and refusals we deal with in EMS involves a subset of patients many do not completely understand, diabetics.  Diabetes is commonly encountered in the prehospital environment, yet not completely understood.  Prehospital providers know how to diagnose and treat hypoglycemia, and hyperglycemia, yet fail to grasp the pathophysiology of the variety of diabetic patients.  This presentation takes an in-depth look at the various types of diabetes and treatment.  Someone during this session may have a finger prickin' good time! This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

PennTIME--Roadway Safety for EMS Professionals
Todd Leiss | Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission

CONED: 1.0 EMSVO | 1.0 Other
SPONSORED BY Bell Graphic Designs
In 2019, 50 emergency responders were struck and killed working along roadways in the United States, In 2020, 32 emergency responders have already been struck & killed. This course will provide information that will help keep you, your crew and your patient safer along the roadway. This course will give you an introduction to the SHRP2 National Traffic Incident Management Responder training course and will talk about why it is important to slow down, make the scene safe before patient care takes place. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.