Real EMS emergency in A&P class

[Captn' Tuddle]

I have a friend who just passed him NREMT who was able to use his new skills in his A&P class.

The instructor, at the begining of class, had said that he felt like he had bug and warned the class not to get too close. Later in class, as he was going over the answers to a quiz, he stopped mid-sentence, went limp in his chair and started vomiting blood. Not coffee ground type blood that would suggest a GI bleed, but bright red arterial blood. So my friend and another student who was a field medic for the army jumped up to try to help him and try to maintain an airway while shouting at the rest of the class to get help. Everyone else in the class (all people who want to get into nursing) were completely frozen and it took yelling one classmate's name a couple of times for them to actually go and call 911.

Turns out that this instructor had an ulcer in his stomach that got infected and somehow spread to his aorta, causing it to burst. What is really amazing is that he survivied and is planning to return to teaching before the end of the term.

 

[akflightmedic]

while shouting at the rest of the class to get help.

Good on him, I am sure it was very exciting. Glad to hear the professor will be fine as well.

I am now going to use your post to reiterate a teaching point from CPR.

We teach you to never shout or address a group when asking for help. Make eye contact with ONE person and point while saying "YOU, go call 911".

Remember to do this as it prevents the deer in the headlight and mass non-response your friend experienced.

 

[ExpatMedic0]

Wow... Not only is that a crazy way to rupture an Aorta... Death occurs immediately after traumatic rupture of the thoracic aorta 75%–90% of the time since bleeding is so severe, and 80–85% of patients die before arriving at a hospital. (depending on your text source)

Lucky guy!

 

[piranah]

can you say....A in that class... good for them

 

[MonkeySquasher]

can you say....A in that class... good for them

haha Crap, you beat me to it! I was going to say "So those two guys passed, right?"

 

[tazman7]

Wow, good thing it happened where it did.

That would be a pucker factor for anybody. Good job

 

[ExpatMedic0]

Reminds me of the time we where eating in Wendy's. This elderly lady taped my partner on the shoulder and calmly asked if we could help her husband to the car. We turned around to find her husband had face planted in his burger and was unresponsive. He came back around, symptomatic bradycardia and we ended up pacing him right there in Wendy's.

I will say not nearly as interesting as the story above though.

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

Reminds me of the time we where eating in Wendy's. This elderly lady taped my partner on the shoulder and calmly asked if we could help her husband to the car. We turned around to find her husband had face planted in his burger and was unresponsive. He came back around, symptomatic bradycardia and we ended up pacing him right there in Wendy's.

I will say not nearly as interesting as the story above though.

Sure beats my best... parked in front of a Sonics (because we got half off at Sonics and I like their Chedder Poppers :blush when two hot college students came up and asked if we had any bandaids... funny thing... we didn't... let me tell you I carried 2 bandaids in my shirt pocket on every shift from then on out... just in case we encoutered some other injured hot coeds...

 

[MonkeySquasher]

Sure beats my best... parked in front of a Sonics (because we got half off at Sonics and I like their Chedder Poppers :blush when two hot college students came up and asked if we had any bandaids... funny thing... we didn't... let me tell you I carried 2 bandaids in my shirt pocket on every shift from then on out... just in case we encoutered some other injured hot coeds...

hahaha My partner and I had one last summer, driving along a city street and hear a dog yelp, and see his hot owner and her friend trying to calm it. We figured we'd be dumb NOT to try it. So we parked at the corner, walked back and pulled this sliver out of the dog's paw. Then the one said her b/f was a firefighter. -_- Atleast the dog was happy.

 

[Shishkabob]

Sure beats my best... parked in front of a Sonics (because we got half off at Sonics and I like their Chedder Poppers :blush when two hot college students came up and asked if we had any bandaids... funny thing... we didn't... let me tell you I carried 2 bandaids in my shirt pocket on every shift from then on out... just in case we encoutered some other injured hot coeds...

4x4 and tape... tell them it's the Medic Special!




Honestly if I was in the situation the OP stated, I would have called 911 myself instead of waiting / yelling at others to do it. Not like anything else had to be done for the patient in the meantime like compressions.

 

[LondonMedic]

Turns out that this instructor had an ulcer in his stomach that got infected and somehow spread to his aorta, causing it to burst. What is really amazing is that he survivied and is planning to return to teaching before the end of the term.

<_< Okay then.

 

[Captn' Tuddle]

I know, what are the odds of something like that happening?
Something I forgot to mention in the OP is that half of the students in the class don't want to be nurses anymore...