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Health & Fitness
Christopher M Pfingsten, Spencer Oliver
EMS 20/20 is podcast hosted by two experienced Paramedics. Spencer Oliver and Christopher Pfingsten discuss real calls run by real responders and pull out the lessons you won't find in a text book. This podcast is aimed at Paramedic students, seasoned Paramedics looking to refresh, or any one interested in a deeper dive into pre-hospital health care.
Total 169 episodes
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Breaking Blood Vessels

Breaking Blood Vessels

In this BLS focused episode, what you get is quintessential EMS 20/20. Multiple treatment options, CVA symptoms with hypotension, complicated crew dynamics, agency culture issues, and Chris ranting about kits.
01:36:3726/04/2023
Seizure Victim Unit

Seizure Victim Unit

Is this episode's patient faking a seizure? Does it even matter? Or at least, does it matter more than the anger of a salty medic who terrorizes their trainee? Does THAT matter more than the ensuing medication error?
01:31:1712/04/2023
A-Hip-A

A-Hip-A

After Chris defends his position on TXA, Spencer UTTERLY STUMPS him in this week's episode where a patient is KILLED by HIP PAIN! Spoiler: Patient not actually killed by hip pain.
01:41:4229/03/2023
Bad to the (T)Bone

Bad to the (T)Bone

Spencer gives Chris some supervisor flashbacks as the guys analyze a call that may send the patient... and maybe even the crew... to their final destination. Listen and find out who lives, who dies, and who escapes death for at least two sequels.
01:30:5915/03/2023
You Give Love... A Bad Name

You Give Love... A Bad Name

Spencer let's his playlist decide the title, but can the crew in today's episode decide where all the blood is coming from? Listen and find out! Listen at GuardianCME.com to get free CE!
01:50:1801/03/2023
Concert Concern

Concert Concern

Today we fly our F-18's while launching our AAM's at some MDMA during and EDM concert! Or maybe it's SSRI's, or SS, or MAO-I's, or TCA's... or maybe we just need to RTB...
01:35:1915/02/2023
Pandammonia

Pandammonia

Can Chris navigate his way and find the right direction as Spencer pitches an ALOC curveball? How does the crew do? And why is the receiving doctor so so mean?!
01:53:2201/02/2023
Pacing/Pressor Pressure

Pacing/Pressor Pressure

Special Guests from GuardianCME! Jason Seitz and Dr. Chris Seitz join the guys as they attempt to cook up an answer to a fork in the road on this weeks episode!
01:41:3818/01/2023
The One Where Bad Stuff Happens

The One Where Bad Stuff Happens

Spencer and Chris are there for you in today's episode where a patient is "checked for police". Was the check good enough or should the crew have been more thorough? We also discuss the value of good... and honest... charting.
01:22:0904/01/2023
This Call Bugs Me

This Call Bugs Me

Are we dealing with another Peanut Butter Spider Sandwich situation, or is this title just clickbait? Or is it neither? An altered LOC patient has some curious and life threatening symptoms in this week's episode, and Chris briefly discusses how EMS 20/20 does advertising business at the end... if that's your thing.
01:37:4221/12/2022
Teenage Heartbreak

Teenage Heartbreak

Maybe don't overthink the cover art, but do Chris and Spence finally argue about what to do about a really, really sick pediatric patient? Stir the oxygen tanks as the guys try and solve Houston's problem, and check our Facebook and Instagram for the EKG's associated with this episode!
02:32:5707/12/2022
The Fallout of Fallot

The Fallout of Fallot

The title is not the give away you think it is! The guys follow a BLS crew that responds to the call no one ever wants to respond to. (WARNING: This episode contains sensitive subject matter.)
01:35:3523/11/2022
Type 1 For Doctor

Type 1 For Doctor

Type 2 for Billing... Type 1 For Doctor. In today's episode the guys (finally) follow a BLS crew through a confusing call that involves spousal arguments and a good old fashioned dollup of just plain winging it when a patient scares the $*#@ out of his wife.
01:34:1109/11/2022
The Bourne Lift Assist

The Bourne Lift Assist

Chris and Spence are joined by Dr. Ritu Sahni and Mike Verkest of the EMS Show! Have a listen to this uplifting cross over episode that suffers from a little bit of title confusion.
01:54:4726/10/2022
G.I. Joe!

G.I. Joe!

The guys go to battle with Snake Eyes and Duke against the evils of confirmation bias and... coffee grounds? Have a listen and see what goes right (and wrong) in this week's episode!
01:31:1512/10/2022
Falling into Hypoglycemia

Falling into Hypoglycemia

A patient is found in the bottom of a flooded ditch and the only thing lower than their temperature is their blood sugar... a crew navigates a call that could go in any direction. Do they choose the right path? Listen and find out!
01:45:0428/09/2022
What's in the Salad? (AMS)

What's in the Salad? (AMS)

In these week's episode, Spencer and Chris pick apart a BLS call with really, really weird symptoms. Chris is put through the gauntlet as he tries to figure out what's causing the patient's odd behavior. Spoiler: Chris fails.
01:41:0014/09/2022
Severus Arterious!

Severus Arterious!

SORRY FOR THE DELAY! BLAME CHRIS! The guys review a call with a patient that needs just a touch of magic to a large neck wound. Was the crew able to cast the right spell? Listen and find out!
01:40:5402/09/2022
Drop It Like It's Hot

Drop It Like It's Hot

With help from gravity, two EMT's find themselves doing the one thing we swore to never do. Is today's episode a master class in recovery, or did the crew grab shovels and dig even deeper? Listen to find out as Spencer dishes out the story and Chris rants about naming medical conditions after people.
01:42:3617/08/2022
The Request For Calcium Is Denied

The Request For Calcium Is Denied

On today's episode Spencer and Chris exam a broken system and some broken... Calcium Channels? A sweetly named crew takes on an overdose! Do they succeed? Listen and find out!
01:36:2003/08/2022
Bicycles and Minivans

Bicycles and Minivans

Check the body cam footage!https://youtu.be/FIJxaIUjhfo
02:09:1920/07/2022
worst. chaser. ever.

worst. chaser. ever.

EPISODE 100!!! The guys follow the ups and downs of a call that gets some rarely used, but often talked about treatments. Did the guys learn something new? Will you? Listen and find out!
01:12:3306/07/2022
Fight and Flight

Fight and Flight

The guys get to talk about helicopters and weather and flight things in today's episode where a flight crew walks in on a call at a local ER that is being run perfectly. They have very little to add and things go smoothly. Except the opposite. Can they ultimately put the pieces of the puzzle back together to help this patient? Listen and find out!
01:37:5022/06/2022
Lawsagna

Lawsagna

Chris and Spencer bring on Samantha (a REAL LAWYER!) and Nick from the Standard of Care podcast for a call that is plagued with legal complications. An EMT is put in the awkward position of taking a patient that may not want to go to the hospital. We touch on everything from justified assault to kidnapping to false imprisonment and more! Chris suspects that a lasagna is the root of the problem, further highlighting the need for the guys to bring in people who know what they are talking about.
02:22:5308/06/2022
Altered LOC Quest

Altered LOC Quest

Chris and Spencer make an attempt to unravel the mystery behind an altered level of consciousness and more importantly, they try to figure what to (and not to) do about it.
01:20:2225/05/2022
The Unimaginable Weight of Incredible Trauma

The Unimaginable Weight of Incredible Trauma

With deep, full bodied flavors of trauma and some light herbal notes of scene management during an MCI, the guys pour you a glass of wine to... decompress with.
01:36:2011/05/2022
Boldly Going (To The Birthing Center)

Boldly Going (To The Birthing Center)

Spencer and Chris Boldly examine a call that occurs in a birthing center where a patient is hypotensive for obvious reasons... or are they?
01:31:2927/04/2022
Overdosed on AMS

Overdosed on AMS

Spencer and Chris try to stay with a crew as they wind down the treacherous rabbit hole that is an altered mental status patient. Do they take the wrong path? In short... probably, but listen and find out why they go where they go on this week's episode!
01:29:5613/04/2022
Do Not Resuscitate The 80's

Do Not Resuscitate The 80's

You ever want to intubate someone, but they tell you no? Chris swears a little less (barely) in today's episode that examines DNR's, POLST forms, and inaccurate SaO2 probes. We also get another rant from Chris!
01:44:0230/03/2022
Bill and Bob's Excellent Misadventure

Bill and Bob's Excellent Misadventure

Spencer and Chris go on a crazy adventure as they explore the choices made by Bill and Bob, two partners taking care of a patient that either stayed on or fell off the wagon... with a hard thud. Is it trauma? Is it alcohol? Did they miss something? Listen and find out on this week's episode!
01:41:1416/03/2022
The Queen's Gambit

The Queen's Gambit

The guy's review a call where the patient is deep trouble long before anyone arrives. In one of our longer and more serious episodes, the guy's talk about what it means to lead a call and how to talk to family members when things aren't going well.
01:59:0709/03/2022
Never Ending Plot Twists

Never Ending Plot Twists

The guys are given a call that takes place in a precarious system with a patient that has no memory... and a never ending stream of twists and turns that take this call from "eh" to WTF in a hurry.
01:18:0702/03/2022
Is This Even Legal?

Is This Even Legal?

On this weeks episode a very sick patient is taken to the hospital... but do issues of patient abandonment arise when a Paramedic refused to be the primary provider? Listen to this weeks call and find out if Spencer and Chris can close the case.
01:15:4323/02/2022
(Please) Free CO2

(Please) Free CO2

A crew find a patient that rapidly deteriorates, prompting quick action. Baffling monitor readings are the result, so the Chris and Spence bring in back up: Nicole Johnson, a seasoned ICU RN and host of the Found Down podcast join the team to figure out some crazy numbers in one of our biggest episodes yet!
02:08:1316/02/2022
Never Tell Me The Odds!

Never Tell Me The Odds!

In an-almost-Valentines-Day special, the guys pick a part a call that has some unusual possibilities for symptoms that started during unusual circumstances that results in an unusual diagnosis. Can the guys shed any light on this unusual episode?
01:02:2509/02/2022
STEMTRAUMI

STEMTRAUMI

A drunk patient decides that a new Paramedic and their partner need a one stop shop for possible problems, and they absolutely deliver. But do Chris and Spencer deliver on the education? Listen and find out!
01:56:5626/01/2022
Stay Frosty

Stay Frosty

Chris (finally) brings a call that involved an upside down truck, a frozen patient, and a frozen crew... at least when it comes to deciding on exactly what to do! Do they ever figure it out? Listen and find out!
01:46:5319/01/2022
Ambulance Ambush

Ambulance Ambush

A crew of three Paramedics finds themselves in a situation that no responder ever wants to be in when a patient goes Super Saiyan. Medicate? Evacuate? Also, Chris questions the validity of checking for painful stimuli and challenges the internet... will he regret it?
01:45:3812/01/2022
The Devil Wears 5.11

The Devil Wears 5.11

This week's episode features a simpler call that absolutely has some clinical errors in it... but are they a result of a bad partnership? Which is more toxic: the patient or the work environment? Listen and find out in this intense episode of EMS 20/20!
01:52:2005/01/2022
The Usual Suspects

The Usual Suspects

In the 80th Episode of EMS 20/20, a car crash leads to a highly symptomatic patient... but why? Is it trauma, or was there a medical event that caused the crash? Is it both? Be sure to view the EKG on our social media and see if you can figure it out before we do!
01:44:2422/12/2021
Respiratory "S" Word Virus

Respiratory "S" Word Virus

Spencer and Chris dive into a call where parental controls are in play as a pediatric patient struggles to breathe. How do you both treat a patient and calm scared parents? Listen and find out!
01:44:4615/12/2021
It Won't Stop Bleeding

It Won't Stop Bleeding

Like a leaky faucet, a patient's leg has sprung a leak and a BLS crew does their best to stop the out of control flow. Do they dam the river? Find out on this week's episode!
01:39:3008/12/2021
Hit or Stay?

Hit or Stay?

LISTENER FEEDBACK WANTED! A crew has to make a hard choice... stay and play or load and go? With a rapidly closing window to make a hard decision does the crew make the right choice? Spence and Chris give their opinions and ask for yours in this weeks episode!
01:39:1701/12/2021
Interpersonal Transfer

Interpersonal Transfer

This week's call takes us to a chaotic and tense ER as a crew picks up a very sick patient to transfer them to a higher level of care. Interpersonal Communication takes center stage in this episode as Chris and Spencer play counselor.
01:20:2624/11/2021
Tough Crowd

Tough Crowd

Caught between quelling both a grumpy crowd and an unruly airway, a group of Care Bears are faced with problems from every angle. Do they prevail? Could they have prevailed? The guys go the distance to find out in this weeks episode!
02:11:4710/11/2021
Suspicious Heartache

Suspicious Heartache

A patient presents with classic signs of a heart attack... but is it? Spencer attempts to stump Chris (and possibly succeeds) in this weeks episode! Also... Chris tees off on physicians with Dr. House Syndrome ;)
01:32:4603/11/2021
Venti Sized Suckage

Venti Sized Suckage

A Paramedic orders a Grande but ends up with a Venti sized problem on their hands. The guys try to answer one question: is there such a thing as too much coffee?
01:04:0627/10/2021
Should I Touch It?

Should I Touch It?

A patient with a OW troubling and painOWful experience is treated by a OW crew OW that may be jumping to conclusions. Can our hosts offer up some sage advice without making too many Star Trek references? Can a patients implanted defibrillator shock you? Listen and find out!
01:32:1620/10/2021
Indiana Jonesing

Indiana Jonesing

A young patient is mentally stranded in space as a crew tries their best to figure out what, if anything could be wrong with this patient. Is it drugs? Is it a stroke? Listen and find out!
01:29:4313/10/2021
The Devil's Lettuce

The Devil's Lettuce

In our 70th episode we talk about a call with a very difficult and vibrating (yes, vibrating) patient that is paired with a difficult partner. Just how bad can imitation marijuana be? Listen and find out!
01:20:4606/10/2021