Vomiting Blood During Full Arrest

BryanR

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So last night I had this full arrest. During transport, a ton of bright red blood came out of his mouth. It wasn't vomit. Anyone know what this could be? The medic that was transporting with us had no clue.
 

GMCmedic

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Blood is sometimes a byproduct of CPR but It wouldnt be a ton. Ruptured Varices comes to mind, that would likely make the back of the Ambulance look like a murder scene.

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BryanR

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Blood is sometimes a byproduct of CPR but It wouldnt be a ton. Ruptured Varices comes to mind, that would likely make the back of the Ambulance look like a murder scene.

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It was pretty bad. The gurney, backboard, and ground were all covered in it.
 

EpiEMS

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You could request a follow-up from the hospital, if you wanted to.
It could be interesting if it isn't something sort of expected (like esophageal varices, etc.).
 

VentMonkey

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Blood is sometimes a byproduct of CPR but It wouldnt be a ton. Ruptured Varices comes to mind, that would likely make the back of the Ambulance look like a murder scene.
This^^^, perhaps a Mallory-Weiss tear from the trauma induced by the CPR performed? Idk, either way how new was your medic that they had "no clue"?
 
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BryanR

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This^^^, perhaps a Mallory-Weiss tear from the trauma induced by the CPR performed? Idk, either way how new was your medic that they had "no clue"?

He seemed pretty experienced. It was a county fire guy, and he seemed to know what he was doing. But he said he had no clue what that was. o_O
 

EpiEMS

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It was a county fire guy
mongo_1350076255_600x275.jpg

*Snicker snicker*

In all seriousness, though, esophageal varices, Boerhaave sydrome, etc. are covered in the EMT curriculum...
 

Underoath87

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Why do people call it a "full arrest" rather than "cardiac arrest"? Is there such a thing as a partial arrest (respiratory maybe)?
 

Jim37F

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Why do people call it a "full arrest" rather than "cardiac arrest"? Is there such a thing as a partial arrest (respiratory maybe)?
:shrugs: That's what everyone around here calls them. Might as well question why some people call them Traffic Collisions vs Traffic Accidents vs Motor Vehicle Collisions or Rigs vs Bus vs Truck (even in a Type II vanbulance)
 

CALEMT

The Other Guy/ Paramaybe?
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Rigs vs Bus vs Truck

It's an ambulance, you're just wrong if you call it something else...

For the OP, like everyone else has suggested a ruptured varices comes to mind.
 

FK911

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Because if he was intubated. It sound like the medic, and just because he is FD... same clown different costume.....if he was tubed then it sound like there could have been some trauma caused by the intubation
If u remember a show called AIRWOLF?
The main Actor was riding his motorcycle in Malibu and crashed.
He was intubated by LAFD medics who severed his vocal chords and left him unable to speak.
I would follow up with receiving facility.
 

E tank

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Because if he was intubated. It sound like the medic, and just because he is FD... same clown different costume.....if he was tubed then it sound like there could have been some trauma caused by the intubation
.

Torrential bleeding caused by DL and intubation would have to be in the circumstance of a completely unavoidable anomaly somewhere in the airway. Leaving aside the miniscule odds that what is described was because of a traumatic intubation, even with tumor or airway disruption, the bleeding doesn't look like the OP's patient.
 

TomB

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He seemed pretty experienced. It was a county fire guy, and he seemed to know what he was doing. But he said he had no clue what that was. o_O

Good for him. There is a lot of narrative fallacy in medicine. "He was purple from the nipple line up so he must have had a massive PE." I respect people who say they don't know unless they actually know.
 
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