# The Stat Glucose that killed!



## willbeflight (May 25, 2009)

OK guys,  I want to start this out by saying that this could only happen to me!  While I am in school, I left my job at the Internal Medicine office and started doing phlebotomy at the hospital on second shift.  You won't believe this stuff.....

It's around four o'clock in the afternoon, (today) and I get a call in the lab to come and draw a stat glucose on a patient.
I get to the room, and this poor patient has NO veins!  He has sores on his arms, and I don't wanna torture him.  I decide to do a finger stick and just fill a Peds Chem tube.  I tell the patient what I am about to do.  He just looks at me and puts his head back down,  so I get to work!  I get about two or three drops in the tube....and then nothing.  I look up at the patient, just to discover, that while I am busy trying to milk blood from his finger, he has expired!!!  I can't make this stuff up!  I will refuse a stat glucose next time!  LOL  :blush:


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## WannaBeFlight (May 25, 2009)

LMAO!!! Only you dear, only you!  Thats so awesome, I know dub thee: 007! I always knew you had the special touch!
Well at least you said a prayer for him...May he rest in peace.


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## willbeflight (May 25, 2009)

WannaBeFlight said:


> LMAO!!! Only you dear, only you!  Thats so awesome, I know dub thee: 007! I always knew you had the special touch!
> Well at least you said a prayer for him...May he rest in peace.




I know!!  Bless his heart!  He was a sick one.  :sad:  But, only me!!


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## exodus (May 25, 2009)

Didn't they have him on a monitor or anything?


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## Flight-LP (May 25, 2009)

***note to self, stay away from future flight medics in NC. NO BLOOD DRAWS ALLOWED***


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## Sasha (May 25, 2009)

exodus said:


> Didn't they have him on a monitor or anything?



Not all patients are put on telemetry or monitors.


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## exodus (May 25, 2009)

Sasha said:


> Not all patients are put on telemetry or monitors.



All ER's here put every pt on a 5 lead, Auto BP, and O2sat no matter what, even the BS pt's.


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## JPINFV (May 25, 2009)

...and go an hour north to OC and not all patients in the ER get a monitor (BP cuff and pulse ox, yes. 3-5 lead [hospital dependent], no).


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## medicdan (May 25, 2009)

exodus said:


> Didn't they have him on a monitor or anything?



I presume if he expired, and they pronounced, they would have taken him off the monitor, or at least turned it off...?


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## Sasha (May 25, 2009)

exodus said:


> All ER's here put every pt on a 5 lead, Auto BP, and O2sat no matter what, even the BS pt's.



Where did it say he was in the ER?

Sucks for you, OP, you must have the touch of death!


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## willbeflight (May 25, 2009)

Sasha said:


> Where did it say he was in the ER?
> 
> Sucks for you, OP, you must have the touch of death!



OK, he was on the general surgery floor.  No telemetery.  He was there as EOL issues anyway and had a DNR.  I could not believe the crappy timing of that!!  I haven't killed anyone else!! :blush:


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## willbeflight (May 25, 2009)

Flight-LP said:


> ***note to self, stay away from future flight medics in NC. NO BLOOD DRAWS ALLOWED***



Thanks for your vote of confidence!  lmao


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## Buzz (May 25, 2009)

For some reason this story reminds me of the X-Men comics... Rogue...

Perhaps you have discovered your mutant power.


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## Epi-do (May 25, 2009)

willbeflight said:


> I haven't killed anyone else!! :blush:



Ummm.....yeah.....YET!  

Sorry to hear about that, but it's not like you _really_  killed him, you just happened to be there.


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## Sasha (May 25, 2009)

Epi-do said:


> Ummm.....yeah.....YET!
> 
> Sorry to hear about that, but it's not like you _really_  killed him, you just happened to be there.



He just happened to die while you were stabbing him with a lancet...

Like the patient just happened to go into asystole right as you pushed a drug...


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## mycrofft (May 26, 2009)

*If a finger lancet did that...*

Imagine if you'd tried a lumbar puncture?

What!?:unsure:


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## willbeflight (May 26, 2009)

Buzz said:


> For some reason this story reminds me of the X-Men comics... Rogue...
> 
> Perhaps you have discovered your mutant power.



hmmmm, that a thought!!


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## willbeflight (May 26, 2009)

Sasha said:


> He just happened to die while you were stabbing him with a lancet...
> 
> Like the patient just happened to go into asystole right as you pushed a drug...



I think the two are totally different.


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## mycrofft (May 26, 2009)

*We have discovered the fatal "CHI" point*

of acupuncture.h34r:


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## rescuepoppy (May 26, 2009)

If I have to go to the hospital over that way I am going to ask the lab tech if they are on EMT LIFE before they do a finger :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored: on me. But seriously sorry to hear that. Just remember the fact is in this business we are going to see people die. Always keep in mind we do not make the decision on when it is somebody's time. All we can do is keep on doing our best.


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## willbeflight (May 26, 2009)

rescuepoppy said:


> If I have to go to the hospital over that way I am going to ask the lab tech if they are on EMT LIFE before they do a finger :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored: on me. But seriously sorry to hear that. Just remember the fact is in this business we are going to see people die. Always keep in mind we do not make the decision on when it is somebody's time. All we can do is keep on doing our best.



Thanks Poppy, for your encouragement.  This is not the first patient I have seen die.  I have been in the medical field for ten years.  I posted this, because it was one of those, "Did that just happen" kind of things.  I must state for the record, I, IN NO WAY, CAUSED THIS PATIENT TO DIE!  I also want everyone in here to know that it was all about crappy timing.  Nothing else!


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## willbeflight (May 26, 2009)

mycrofft said:


> of acupuncture.h34r:




LOL  Funny:excl:


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## WannaBeFlight (May 26, 2009)

rescuepoppy said:


> If I have to go to the hospital over that way I am going to ask the lab tech if they are on EMT LIFE before they do a finger :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored: on me. But seriously sorry to hear that. Just remember the fact is in this business we are going to see people die. Always keep in mind we do not make the decision on when it is somebody's time. All we can do is keep on doing our best.



Not fair...I havent killed anyone before! Just cause she is my buddy doesnt mean I will! I would take the very best care of you! 
MAMA!!!


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## WannaBeFlight (May 26, 2009)

willbeflight said:


> Thanks Poppy, for your encouragement.  This is not the first patient I have seen die.  I have been in the medical field for ten years.  I posted this, because it was one of those, "Did that just happen" kind of things.  I must state for the record, I, IN NO WAY, CAUSED THIS PATIENT TO DIE!  I also want everyone in here to know that it was all about crappy timing.  Nothing else!



Maybe he thought he saw an angel...


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## willbeflight (May 26, 2009)

WannaBeFlight said:


> Not fair...I havent killed anyone before! Just cause she is my buddy doesnt mean I will! I would take the very best care of you!
> MAMA!!!



Traitor!!  lmao


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## willbeflight (May 26, 2009)

WannaBeFlight said:


> Maybe he thought he saw an angel...



aWWW, You are forgiven!  I like that answer.  We will go with that!  lol


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