One of the most basic skills an Air Methods team member should have is knowing how to intubate properly. Understanding how to do that properly is a prerequisite for the job. But knowing when to intubate, and in the particular case of this month's patient, knowing when NOT to intubate is most crucial. Our team is tasked with transferring our patient Myles who was experiencing acute respiratory distress, but in their assessment determined that despite his severe symptoms, intubating and paralyzing him could likely lead to even worse outcomes. Listen in as we hear from not only our team, but our patient, as they describe the unusual and voluminous symptoms, which are unusual for a 33 year-old. How did they make their determinations? What does Myles remember? And what has the road to recovery been like for Myles? You're not going to believe everything he's been through.

A young man in his 20s experiences a head-on collision with a tree that leaves him in profound shock, and not exhibiting the symptoms that would seem to match his vital signs. Our team recognizes the mismatch and works quickly to get him to the hospital. Upon arriving at the hospital, the team does what our host refers to as "the ultimate hospital intervention" and performs an open resuscitative thoracotomy. After multiple surgeries and three days, the patient ultimately does not survive. But after the staggering volume of blood products and interventions performed, they wonder if he's still eligible for organ and tissue donation. In the last part of this episode, we answer that question with an expert on the issue. The insights are fascinating.

Transporting a newborn in distress already involves extreme logistical complexity, as you'll hear in this month's episode where our team is tasked with taking a newborn experiencing acute shortness of breath. But what happens when the mother starts to decompensate right alongside her baby? Now our team is tasked with caring for two patients, and how they tackle that complexity is the focus of this episode. How many people does our team have to talk to? How long does that process take? Tune in and hear about the thoughtful and thorough process of ensuring everyone's safety provided by Air Methods' procedures.

At a motorcycle track, a middle-aged man suffers a massive crash off a jump. Byt the time our team arrives on scene, the man is inflating like a balloon suffering from massive structural-distorting subcutaneous emphysema. The massive air pockets completely obliterated his normal anatomy, leaving them to guess: Do we blindly plunge decompressing needles into his chest where the landmarks have completely vanished or do we prioritize and secure the airway using advanced focused techniques? Listen in as our team learns in real time that ego has no place beside the patient. How does this case turn out? Listen in!