In sports the "Follow through" is often times as important as the actual task. Like Throwing a ball, Hitting a golf ball, or Shooting a hockey puck. If you don't follow through the acuracy of your throw or shot will be off. Sometimes resulting in a wild pitch or an interception, causing more harm than good and usually being used against you.
Tonight I found out that it also applies to E.M.S.
It had been a long day already!
E.M.H. Was not accepting patients
(because they had no where to put them)
We had several serious calls,
A cardiac call at the mall which we transported to West Shore, Then got attitude from some crotchety old bag of a nurse for bringing it there instead of E.M.H. no matter what their status!
A pick-up truck that was hit by a train! we flew that patient out...
Several other various calls that kept us out of the station and away from food and rest all day and half of the night.
So I tried to go to bed at one in the morning...
At 1:13am Ken and I were dispatched to a cardiac arrest,
" 47 year old male witnessed arrest, C.P.R. in progress."
( I had only been asleep for 10 minutes. )
So off we go to try to help someone to live...
He was sleeping, when his wife was awakened by her husband "shaking and breathing funny" but when she checked he was not breathing his eyes were wide open and he had no pulse.
She called for her son who immediately started C.P.R. and she called 911.
When we arrived we found the pt. on the floor beside his bed and his son was doing compressions and mouth to mouth ventilations.
I took over the airway while ken did a quick look on the monitor. The pt had an idioventricular rhythm at 30(ish) which is not good enough!(meanwhile)
I placed the tube thouroughly ,(lipline of 29)
Checked breath sounds and secured the tube, just then as ken was ready to start the line the man went into V-fib and Ken delivered the first in a series of defibrilations, Fire did CPR, Ken started the line,pushed some epi, defib'ed, and then some lidocaine, defib'ed again more epi,more lido, one more shock and holy shit if it didn't work.
We had a pulse back and initiated a lidocaine drip, we then moved the patient to the monkey bus and transported to E.M.H. (Who have the no vacancy shingle out, and have for a few days by the way)
where they continued to stabilize the patient and search for an empty CCU bed somewhere in northern ohio in which to place this man for further care.
After a few minutes they found that S.J.W.S. Hospital would admit this patient. and now to find him a ride...
Life flight? "30 to 45 minutes till they could get to E.M.H."
Next!
Lifestar Critical Care transport? "45 minutes."
Next!
Hey Ken? Can you and Carl take Him to West Shore?
"Yep, Give me 5 minutes"
Five minutes later...
We transported him to West Shore it took eleven minutes.
The trip was un-eventful.
When we transferred care to the CCU, I was dismayed at the attitude that was being emitted from the nursing staff.
With the exception of one nurse I was treated as if I were insignificant in the care and treatment of this patient.
One of the Nurses there was ready to cardiovert Sinus Tach!
For the love of god woman! put your name badge down and step away from the other humans! you are dangerous!
In fact the nursing supervisor referred to us as "the transporters" and at one point said your only ambulance drivers what can you do about his condition anyway, (or something very close to that)
I felt compelled to tell her that We were responsible for him having a pulse in the first place and that if she wished to escape an ass whooping she should move on!
However, instead I said nothing.
Knowing that deep inside her was a feeling of inadequacy that "Nursing" could not subdue...
( And judging by the looks of her,)
( that may well have been the only thing inside her for quite some time,)
( if you know what I mean.! )
So instead of arguing with any of the nurses Ken and I who were ready to leave were solicited by the doctor and asked to fill him in on the whole story since we were the ones who were there.
After talking with him we spoke with the wife and son of our patient on the way out. They were both very frightened and looking for some sign of what was ahead of them.
We encouraged them to be vigilant and strong, to know the actions that were taken by them as soon as it was gave him the fighting chance he had!
They both cried and hugged us and didn't want us to leave,
They understood that we had to but we waited a couple of minutes longer so they wouldn't be waiting alone for the CCU Representitive to arrive.
When she did we went back to our truck and finished cleaning it up and re-stocking it from the Cardiac arrest call.
Follow Through, it made this mean more to me than other calls I have been on. I'm not sure if that is good or bad...
we arrived back ot our station at 4:25am and tried to go to bed.
I was able to sleep for a whole two hours befor our next call...
which we transported to S.J.W.S.
Joy , Joy ...
I now have a bad feeling toward that facility...
Good Nite
