Air Methods Prehospital EDucation Podcast Ep. 52: Inner Mechanics: A Motorcycle Accident and the Art of Resilience
Air Methods Prehospital EDucation Podcast
Release Date: 05/22/2025
Air Methods Prehospital EDucation Podcast
A brutal incident where a woman gets hit by a truck leaves her with a multitude of injuries, most notably both of her legs bent into a position best described as "frog legs." She's in good spirits and her vitals are good, but her legs bent at that angle means that she cannot fit into our team's helicopter. How does our team get her legs back into place without causing further trauma or risking her stable vitals? Complicating factors is the extremely uneven ground because they're in a cow pasture and the risk of infection is extremely high because the team and the patient are surrounded by cow...
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In an incredible twist of irony, this month's case focuses on our flight crew loading into their helicopter to be dispatched to... a patient who has fallen out of a helicopter. From a height of approximately 40 feet and at a speed of 30 knots, our patient has an abundance of injuries, which requires our team to remember their axiom: "Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast." This episode also introduces an important question: How do we intervene in different kinds of shock? Our patient had three different kinds: Hemorrhagic, neurogenic, and obstructive shock. Listen in as our guest, along with our...
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A common aphorism in the medical community comes from Dr. Theodore Woodward who said in the 1940s, "When you hear hoofbeats behind you, think of horses, not zebras." It's a way of reminding medical practitioners that the most common explanation is usually correct. In other words, Occam's Razor is usually correct. But what happens when the most common explanation isn't correct? What happens when you turn around and find a zebra looking at you? In this month's episode, our team finds a pediatric patient who seems to have had a stroke. Stroke is very uncommon in children, but that doesn't mean...
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Extreme weather once again plays an important factor in this month's case where our team comes upon a car accident victim who has a litany of injuries that make care extremely challenging, even in optimal conditions. Featuring a pilot for the first time ever in AMPED history, we hear from our clinicians about how to give our patient the best shot at survival, and from our pilot about the many considerations he has to make in order to expedite his arrival at a care facility. Hear these unique insights in this fascinating episode of AMPED. Interested in obtaining CE credit for this...
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A severely ill Flu A patient, fully intubated, and fighting for every breath requires the AMPED team for transport for possible ECMO. Under even the best of circumstances, this type of patient requires extensive care and presents many challenges. But what happens when extreme weather causes problems with the team's equipment, making care even more challenging? Find out how our team dealt with and overcame these challenges to help ensure our patient's recovery and survival. Interested in obtaining CE credit for this episode? Visit to learn more. Listeners can purchase individual...
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A car accident on the highway sees the vehicle rollover nine times and ejects our patient out of the vehicle with a multitude of life threatening injuries. Our team refers to our patient as the sickest trauma patient any of them had ever seen. The outlook is very bleak, but our team perseveres and gives every effort to help increase the patient's odds of survival. While not ultimately successful, this episode provides critical insight and valuable lessons learned from our team about how important providing the very best care is, even when the cause appears lost. Interested in...
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A motorcycle accident leaves our patient with a litany of serious injuries and severe bleeding, yet he remains alert and talking to the team... but that's not the only one he talks to. Our patient puts his life in the hands of a higher power and our Air Methods crew as they work to address his numerous injuries and ailments and get him to a hospital. Hear from the patient himself through this harrowing experience. Interested in obtaining CE credit for this episode? Visit to learn more. Listeners can purchase individual episode credits or subscribe to the and gain access to...
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As our team is out saving lives, we're excited to revisit one of the most harrowing episodes in our archives from January 2023. This remarkable story has a multitude of valuable lessons and insights you're going to love. See you next month with fresh content! It's a different type of episode today on AMPED. We're joined by Ridley Barron, a Senior Pastor at Grove Hill Church in Chapel Hill, TN, and motivational speaker. He tells an incredible story about how his life was changed in a split second via car accident, shares the harrowing journey in the hospital that happened with his youngest son,...
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Our team is dispatched to a scene where they understand a pregnant woman is experiencing footling breech during the birthing process. When they arrive, they find the baby already delivered and being tended to with Basic Life Support practices, although she is in rough shape. How does the team pivot? What steps do they take as the baby is in cardiac arrest? The answer, as it frequently is, is to go back to basics. Listen in on this incredible story with an unexpected ending. Interested in obtaining CE credit for this episode? Visit to learn more. Listeners can purchase...
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When two flight teams are dispatched to a scene, usually the first to arrive takes the sicker of the patients. What happens when circumstances on the ground change that? How do the teams tag in and tag out with one another? On this episode of the AMPED Podcast, a high speed highway collision sees patients with a litany of maladies including traumatic brain injuries. Our team identifies and handles Beck's triad, tension pnuemothorax, flail chest and a lot more in an eventful transport to the medical facility. Listen in on how our team, with a special guest ride along visitor, handles...
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As always thanks for listening and fly safe!
Hawnwan Moy MD FACEP FAEMS
John Wilmas MD FACEP FAEMS
Nyssa Hattaway, BA, BSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, CFRN