TIA

Transient Ischaemic Attack. A transient ischaemic attack (TIA), or 'mini-stroke', is caused by a temporary fall in the blood supply to part of the brain which results in a lack of oxygen to the brain. This can cause symptoms that are similar to a stroke, although they dont last as long. TIA takes only a few minutes and is usually resolved within 24 hours.

NPC

No Patient Contact: it means I went to the call but either didn't see the patient at all, or made little or no clinical contact with the patient. On average I will get one NPC per shift and for every call I get to, I will probably get one cancellation, so my day is generally very busy in terms of blue light driving!

DOAB

Drunk on a bus. Someone who is inebriated and has slipped into an almost comatose state on the back seat or top deck or floor of a bus. The driver will call for an ambulance to remove him/her/it when the bus has terminated. Said driver will make one or two ineffective attempts to wake the person up - possibly by gently whispering - thus having no recourse but to dial 999.

The drunk gets woken up within seconds of our arrival. There may or may not be an element of violence or aggression (but usually there isn't) and the tax payer (you, me and the bus driver) foots the bill.

During the summer, DOABs are extremely common and as many as twenty calls a week in my area alone, result in this kind of nonsense.

RSI

Rapid Sequence Induction and Intubation refers to the sedation and induction of paralysis prior to intubation. It is peformed by HEMS doctors in emergency situations where the stability of the patient's condition is at risk or where management of a seriously injured patient is difficult.

Patients with serious head injuries will often be 'put to sleep' using RSI in the ambulance or on scene if he is combative and at risk of further hurting himself or others.

When the patient has been induced, the paramedic will have to take over control of his breathing using a bag and mask attached to an endotracheal tube. Intubation and management of the patient must be carried out rapidly and maintained until he arrives at hospital, where medical staff will take over. This often means that the paramedic must be skilled enough to perform intubation and place the tube correctly under pressure, with the added responsibility of sustaining the patient within normal oxygen/CO2 balance parameters during the trip to hospital.

HEMS

HEMS. The Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, based at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. They are an elite team of doctors and paramedics who are called to the most serious patients where entrapment or trauma is involved. Sometimes they travel by helicopter (daylight hours) and sometimes in a specially-liveried fast response car. They are activated either directly by Control or by crew request.

Thoracotomy

Thoracotomy. An incision to open the chest cavity, usually to gain direct access to the heart and other organs inside. It is carried out by HEMS doctors on scene where necessary but rarely has a favourable outcome.

One under

One-under. A person who has jumped, fallen or has been pushed under a moving train. They are common. Most of them do not survive.

LFB

London Fire Brigade. They cut people out of cars for us, hold up fluid bags and give everyone oxygen. They also rescue cats and do stuff with fires.

CAD

Computer Aided Despatch. Every call gets its own unique CAD number, which we have to quote and write down when recording information on our PRF.

BTP

British Transport Police. Rail cops; their domain includes every railway and underground station in the country. Obviously the London BTP stick to their local areas but they could, theoretically go to Wales if they want. Free.

BR

British Rail. They used to go on strike a lot but the fares were cheaper. It doesn’t exist anymore but we continue to use the abbreviation when the call origin is a mainline train station. No more strikes but now everyone stands up even though they paid for a seat.

RVP

Rendezvous Point. A fancy French term for the place designated to meet other services (usually the police). The RVP is also where I rarely show up due to inaccurate instructions. Obviously, I prefer to show up at the most dangerous place...the incident scene itself.

Blued in

Blued in. Taken to hospital on blue lights and sirens. Time-critical and life-threatening injuries and illnesses are conveyed like this. It’s a clinical judgment call sometimes and can be embarrassing if incorrectly judged. EOC will call the receiving hospital on their ‘red phone’ and the Resus department will be made ready for the patient (lots of medical students will turn up out of thin air)

PRF

Patient Report Form. A cumbersome three-part, carbon form used to record absolutely every detail of a call. It can be used as a legal document in court.

Purple Annex

Purple Annex. The Morgue.

Purple plus

Purple plus. Dead; for a while.

Purple

Purple. Dead; recently.

Suspended

Suspended. Not breathing, no pulse. Cardiac arrest. Very bad.

Origin

Origin. The number from which the 999 call was made.

MDT

Mobile Data Terminal. A computer system used in every service vehicle. It relays the call information on a screen and incorporates a satellite navigation system to direct us to the call location. It has touch-screen capability and is absolutely useless to anyone who is stupid enough to try and steal it. I wouldn’t bother anyway, we frequently swear at it.