Illinois EMS protocols,
in your pocket.

Estimating gestational age when unknown: fundal height landmark

If the gestational age is unknown, a palpable fundal height above the umbilicus indicates a gestation of more than 20 weeks.

Adult Bradycardia – Inclusion Criteria

Heart rate less than 50 beats per minute with either symptoms: altered mental status, chest pain, congestive heart failure, seizure, syncope, shock, pallor, diaphoresis, or evidence of hemodynamic instability.

Inclusion criteria for Adult Tachycardia with a Pulse protocol

Heart rate typically greater than 150 in adults; assess appropriateness for clinical condition. Sinus tachycardia (heart rate over 100) with hemodynamic stability is excluded.

According to the Chicago EMS System ACS protocol, within what time frame must EMS clinicians acquire a 12-lead ECG for all patients exhibiting signs and symptoms of ACS?

• Within 5 minutes
• ✓ Within 10 minutes
• Within 15 minutes
• Within 20 minutes

The protocol states that 'it is imperative that EMS clinicians routinely acquire a 12-lead ECG within 10 minutes for all patients exhibiting signs and symptoms of ACS.'

According to the protocol, which of the following BEST describes the definition of syncope?

• Prodromal symptoms such as pallor, sweating, and lightheadedness that precede loss of consciousness
• ✓ Both the loss of consciousness and the loss of postural tone that resolves spontaneously without medical interventions
• Any altered mental status that does not resolve within minutes without intervention
• Loss of consciousness with persistent neurologic deficit after the event

The protocol defines syncope as both the loss of consciousness and the loss of postural tone that resolves spontaneously without medical interventions, typically abrupt in onset and resolving quickly. Prodromal symptoms alone describe near syncope, not syncope.