# Life and Death can be funny...



## Strike3 (May 16, 2005)

Saturday night went pretty quitely, surpisingly so. Around 1:30 we get a call for a 78y/o male with heart trouble. We get there, and he tells us he has an implanted defib, and it shocked him and woke him up. We go ahead and get him loaded up and on the monitor, get IV access, and he's got a normal sinus, nothing notable.  He had just taken a nitro, so we give him 4 baby asprin, and head out to the hospital. My partner rode, and I drove.  

We get to the hospital, and I go around back and open the doors. Guy is sitting there, smile on his face and talking. I look at my partner, and his eyes are a little big and he keeps looking at the monitor and back at me. I lean around and look and he's in Vtach around 180 a minute...lol.  Great. Guy doesn't even know he's in a lethal rythem.  I give my partner the "lets get going inside NOW look" and start to pull the guy out...Next thing I know..He jolts, and screams. The defib works aparently!  Scared the crap out of me. We get him inside and start to move him over, and his eyes roll back and he starts to code...We get him over, defib again, guy screams, and sits up and tells us thanks for the ride...The thing shocked him 10 times at least. That's the first ime in a long time I've seen V-tach with a pulse and a completely lucid PT.

Doc looks at him and goes, "damn dude, you just scared the **** out of me."  I couldn't help but laugh. He was going from a-fib to v-tach to trigemeny and back again. Shoulda kept a strip from that guy.  Something really funny about someone on the edge of dying, and in between shocks from his internal defib he's trying to say thank you to us.

Overall, just a wierd situation, but after a bunch of rounds of depressors, his rythem finally came back to normal.

Oh well...another day tomorrow..


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## Chimpie (May 16, 2005)

That's funny.  

I hate to do a "this happen to a friend of mine" story but...  My friend (EMT) was transporting this guy who was complaining of chest pain.  They were on the way to the hospital and the patient was talking to the EMT and then all of a sudden codes.  Without hesitation the EMT grabs the defib and shocks him.  The patient wakes up and resumes talking like nothing happened.  When my friend asked how he felt he goes, "Well my chest is a little warmer now but other than that I feel the same."  

 :lol:


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## Jon (May 16, 2005)

yeah.... my one partner and I were transferring someone from a freestanding ED to a hospital about 15 minutes away. As we get in the elevator at the hospital, my partner grabs my arm and drags me to the monitor - LOOONNNNNNGGGG runs of V-tach.... we realized the drug bag was in the rig, and crossed our fingers as we prayed the elevator to the 18th floor.....   

Transferred care to Stepdown-CCU staff (go figure) and showed the nurse a strip we just printed. Guy was running 5-10 seconds of v-tach every 30-45 seconds.... we kept on talking to the patient. Once he said he was dizzy, otherwise he seemed just fine.  My partner and I went back to the ED and talked with the nurse.... "oh, he did that again, did he?" Yeah! why didn't you tell us? Oh, he only did that once, and it was 4 hours ago.....


Jon


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## usafmedic45 (May 16, 2005)

I was on duty at a hospital as an RT one night and we had a guy who was admitted for R/O MI and we were monitoring him (I was sitting at the nurses station with a friend of mine) when the nurse hollered for help that patient was puking and he needed an extra set of hands.  About that time the patient went asystolic. :blink: The patient stayed in asystole (with P waves present) for about 10 seconds until he got done puking, then set bolt upright and asked why there were so many people in his room.     :lol: 

Needless to say he got a pacemaker implanted but otherwise didn't have a problem.


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## Jon (May 16, 2005)

> *then set bolt upright and asked why there were so many people in his room*



gotta love it. :lol:    :lol: 

Jon


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## MMiz (May 16, 2005)

Strike3,

That's a great story.  I don't have any great stories like that, so I end up telling everyone elses stories at the station when it's story time.

My story: Remember that time I put that guy on a NRB at 15 LPM?
Everyone elses stories: I was doing one-handed CPR, while radioing to dispatch with the other hand, while driving the ambulance with my right leg.

One day.  One day.


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## usafmedic45 (May 17, 2005)

> _Originally posted by MMiz_@May 16 2005, 10:21 PM
> * Strike3,
> 
> That's a great story.  I don't have any great stories like that, so I end up telling everyone elses stories at the station when it's story time.
> ...


 People knows it's a bad call when I put someone on an NRB.  I was told by an ER doc that I was the only EMT he had seen bring in a patient on Venturi mask in 10+ years.  I pointed out that I'm also an RT and he was like "Ah, that explains it."

I won't use an NRB unless nothing else (NC, SFM, Venturi mask, etc) will work to maintain oxygenation.


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## Jon (May 17, 2005)

Here in PA, venturi's are a very gray area... Most times there are ALS only, except if you are taking a trach pt.....


Jon


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## rescuejew (May 21, 2005)

Awesome story Strike3!  Remember the first time we consciously cardioverted a lady in pulsed VT, she looked up at us from the stretcher all pitiful-like and said: "Please dont do that again..."

*Dont worry Matt, your time is coming*


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## rescuecpt (May 22, 2005)

Matt, my corps just started offering ride alongs to anyone who wants... find your way out here and I'll make sure you get some good stories... besides, what's better than riding along with me?  

Oh yeah, my crew makes breakfast and usually cookies for snack - yesterday we even grilled burgers and dogs for lunch - so at least you'll be fed.


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## usafmedic45 (May 22, 2005)

Where's "here"?  I want cookies too!   :lol:


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## rescuecpt (May 22, 2005)

> _Originally posted by usafmedic45_@May 22 2005, 06:10 PM
> * Where's "here"? I want cookies too!  :lol: *


Commack (Long Island) NY


This week I'm making "Monkey Bread"... basically sugar coated balls of cinnamon buns all stuck together in a pan, covered with brown sugar and butter, then baked.  YUMMY.


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## usafmedic45 (May 22, 2005)

Crap....that's an awful long way for cookies.


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## Jon (May 22, 2005)

> _Originally posted by rescuecpt+May 22 2005, 07:43 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>*QUOTE* (rescuecpt @ May 22 2005, 07:43 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-usafmedic45_@May 22 2005, 06:10 PM
> * Where's "here"?  I want cookies too!  :lol: *


Commack (Long Island) NY


This week I'm making "Monkey Bread"... basically sugar coated balls of cinnamon buns all stuck together in a pan, covered with brown sugar and butter, then baked.  YUMMY.   [/b][/quote]
 Save some for chimpie - we should be hearing from him anytime now....


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## PArescueEMT (Jun 21, 2005)

i think we need to suction him so he can talk...


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## TTLWHKR (Jun 21, 2005)

THEY MADE BREAD OUT OF CHIMPIE?


<faints>


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## Stevo (Jun 21, 2005)

hey, look who's here....


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## vtemti (Jun 21, 2005)

> _Originally posted by TTLWHKR_@Jun 21 2005, 01:44 PM
> *   THEY MADE BREAD OUT OF CHIMPIE?
> 
> 
> ...


 Not all of him.


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## MedicPrincess (Jun 21, 2005)

> _Originally posted by rescuecpt_@May 22 2005, 06:43 PM
> * basically sugar coated balls of cinnamon *


 You like'em sugarcoated??  MMMMMMM, sweet  <_<


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