2019 EMT Refresher Instructor Manual

B.1.D – Bariatric Patient (~13 minutes) Instructor Guidance

Objectives:

- Demonstrate assessment of a bariatric patient - Name two symptoms that might occur from poor positioning of a bariatric patient - Name three medical conditions that occur from increased body weight

Setup:

Cohort Bag

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- EMT-level full body manikin (do not use an overweight student for this lab!)

Deployment: DO NOT LECTURE – your students should be working hands-on within 5 minutes of arriving Deploy your students in one team –a manikin should be patient, the rest rescuers.

Run the scenario then discuss various items below.

Debriefing:

Physical Exam:

- What kinds of challenges might a severely overweight patient pose? (difficulty getting breath sounds, difficulty getting into the correct position for exams, problems palpating the abdomen due to increased mass) - What kinds of poor positioning can cause problems with bariatric patients? (supine position can cause breathing distress due to abdominal weight pushing on diaphragm) - How can you tell? (respiratory distress) - How can you fix that (Reverse Trendelenburg – elevating head without bending the body (not the same as fowler’s))