suziquzi99
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I decided today to go the Assoc. degree (Paramedic). I am so excited!!! You guys may get sick of me before it's over. What was your first major call!
Still a probie but heres the story I tell everyone - I was doing a ridealong with an ALS unit out in Maryland. Roughly around 21:00 we get a call for a "woman down" in a neighboring county that didn't have any ALS available. We get there, and we find BLS going through the CPR motions on a woman who had the most distended stomach I've ever seen in my life! Turns out she had terminal metastatic stomach cancer. Anyway, we load and go. In the back of the ambu. Theres 3 of us in back, and I'm put in charge of directing the other basic onboard in CPR, and checking the LifePack for electrical activity. After 2 rounds of epi and atropene, I place my finger on her radial artery, and look over at the monitor. Nothing on radial, but on the monitor, a definite V-Fib. We shock her, and I place my fingers back on her radial - and theres a weak, thready but still present pulse!!!
Honestly, one of the best moments of my life was feeling that pulse... Unfortunately, when we got to the hospital, the family was able to produce a valid notorized DNR - and the woman passed away.
My first major, I had just gotten my liscense was intering with a paid station in baltimore county ( was a high school program) We had just got a doa where the paramedic made me check to see if he was dead then we got a call to respond to a 3 year old cardiac arrest. We got there he was brought out to us on a backboard by the FD. He was obviosuly in cardiac arrest no pule no respiration pupils fixed and dialted. Mother gave us some bs story about how she had just laid him down didnt know trauma was involved until after the fact. I bagged firefighters and the driver took turns doing compressions. They cut off his clothes revealing multipule bruises. The dad hopped in the back of the wagon screaming which seemed directly at me please dont let him die thats my little buddy I love him so much come on buddy we are going to get you a puppy tommorrow I love you please dont let him die. The paramedic loaded him up with atropine ( I do believe I wasnt so focused on what she was doing after she critisized me for every little thing I did or what I wore this woman has serisouly scarred me for life). They intubated I continued to bag they wroked on him for 30 minutes at the ER until they called it. Turns out the evil sorry excuse for a human being had beaten him and thrown him down the basement stairs twice. Wasnt the first time she hurt him but it was the last. It was very intense for me. I was NOT prepared to see a death of a child no way I could have been but abuse like that it still sticks with me. She got 36 years in jail though and get to be someone b*tch so that gives me some peace on the whole thing as well as the poor boy was suffering and isnt anymore. Very traumatic for me but I am keeping on nothing really major or intense since then
You check radial pulses in patients in cardiac arrest?
Actually I was tought to, so yes - mainly to make sure that chest compressions are providing an adequate pressure wave to keep the tissue alive. In this situation, I was in the process of checking the compression wave, and then the other basic held off compressions to assess whether or not the heart had started pumping again.
Actually I was tought to, so yes - mainly to make sure that chest compressions are providing an adequate pressure wave to keep the tissue alive. In this situation, I was in the process of checking the compression wave, and then the other basic held off compressions to assess whether or not the heart had started pumping again.