Aidey
Community Leader Emeritus
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This was one of those calls where you know your patient is sick, but you don't quite realize how sick.
Country road, posted limit 30mph, average speed over 45mph. Sedan traveling an unknown rate of speed, left the roadway, hits a drive way, rolls once landing on the wheels. The only occupant, the driver, is ejected. She is 5'2'', 180ish lbs, only window missing is the driver's side window.
On scene she doesn't remember the accident, but recognizes where she is. She denied meds, allergies, alcohol use etc on scene, however it turns out later she is intoxicated (came out to be nearly a .20. In my defense I have allergies and couldn't smell a darn thing).
Her LOC is going up and down. Initially GCS of 15. It would decrease down to 8, stay there for a bit, and then slowly come back up. When it came back up she was panicked and confused, and each time she remembered less and less of what happened, and was less oriented. She ended up never dropping under a 13, though she did become more lethargic.
Ok, now for the injuries.
5 broken ribs on the left, 4 on the right, fractured sternum, fractured R clavicle, multiple broken spinous processes in the thoracic and lumbar spine (no fractured vertebra or spinal cord injury). Hemothroax on the left, "fractured" kidney on the left, partially transected aorta.
She appeared to have slid on the ground, her entire back was abraded. No visible bruises on her torso, but she had a bunch of bruises on her lower legs. No head, neck or spine injuries.
On scene her BP was roughly 120/p, pulse over 100. En route BP was checked by a FF, who said he thought it was still around 120/p, but that he didn't trust it, pulse of 116. Initial vitals in the ER were BP of 100/60 with a pulse of 124. I was in the ER room for some time because the doc really likes to talk to us directly, and I was watching her pulse slowly go up and thinking "she is worse off than she looks...". Her SpO2 was 93-94%. She refused to keep any kind of mask or cannula on, even in the ER.
She made it through surgery but the ER doc isn't sure she will make it out of the ICU. He said her risk of pneumonia is so high he thinks she will die from it.
Country road, posted limit 30mph, average speed over 45mph. Sedan traveling an unknown rate of speed, left the roadway, hits a drive way, rolls once landing on the wheels. The only occupant, the driver, is ejected. She is 5'2'', 180ish lbs, only window missing is the driver's side window.
On scene she doesn't remember the accident, but recognizes where she is. She denied meds, allergies, alcohol use etc on scene, however it turns out later she is intoxicated (came out to be nearly a .20. In my defense I have allergies and couldn't smell a darn thing).
Her LOC is going up and down. Initially GCS of 15. It would decrease down to 8, stay there for a bit, and then slowly come back up. When it came back up she was panicked and confused, and each time she remembered less and less of what happened, and was less oriented. She ended up never dropping under a 13, though she did become more lethargic.
Ok, now for the injuries.
5 broken ribs on the left, 4 on the right, fractured sternum, fractured R clavicle, multiple broken spinous processes in the thoracic and lumbar spine (no fractured vertebra or spinal cord injury). Hemothroax on the left, "fractured" kidney on the left, partially transected aorta.
She appeared to have slid on the ground, her entire back was abraded. No visible bruises on her torso, but she had a bunch of bruises on her lower legs. No head, neck or spine injuries.
On scene her BP was roughly 120/p, pulse over 100. En route BP was checked by a FF, who said he thought it was still around 120/p, but that he didn't trust it, pulse of 116. Initial vitals in the ER were BP of 100/60 with a pulse of 124. I was in the ER room for some time because the doc really likes to talk to us directly, and I was watching her pulse slowly go up and thinking "she is worse off than she looks...". Her SpO2 was 93-94%. She refused to keep any kind of mask or cannula on, even in the ER.
She made it through surgery but the ER doc isn't sure she will make it out of the ICU. He said her risk of pneumonia is so high he thinks she will die from it.
