Paged out as an overdose

garett1979

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Me and my partners got paged out at 3am to a possible overdose, Got on scene the gentleman had taken 3 tylenol. You can imagine my level of bs tolerence was gone by this time
 

NRNCEMT

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Me and my partners got paged out at 3am to a possible overdose, Got on scene the gentleman had taken 3 tylenol. You can imagine my level of bs tolerence was gone by this time

Ouch, that sucks man. Sounds like the time my partner and I were paged out to a chest pain with SOB at a Chinese restaurant, we get there and the lady had put too much hot mustard on her food. We were also fuming quite a bit.
 

VentMedic

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What was the dose of each tablet and how many were taken within 24 hours? Any other products containing acetaminophen taken?

The maximum amounts for adults are 1 gram (1000 mg) per dose and 4 grams (4000 mg) per day.

Any history of alcohol use in history or during that day?
Liver function problems?

Patient's age?

What was the reason for taking the Tylenol?
 
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garett1979

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55yo pt, no other acemetohphine taken that day, no alcohol consumption, pt had a head ache, the bottle said take two as needed he took three thought he had od
 

VentMedic

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55yo pt, no other acemetohphine taken that day, no alcohol consumption, pt had a head ache, the bottle said take two as needed he took three thought he had od

Dosage?

Prescription or OTC?

Other hx?

The ads they have been running in the media for acetaminophen OD are pretty frightening. I can see where some might get concerned.
 
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garett1979

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If the pt had taken more than the sugested dosage in a 24hr period i could understand, but he took 3, which i think is 2000mg if im not mistaken i would have understood, but come on man u called rescue cuz u took 3 tylenol
 
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garett1979

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But thank you for your advice, i always look for constructive criticism, and ways to do it better
 

VentMedic

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If the pt had taken more than the sugested dosage in a 24hr period i could understand, but he took 3, which i think is 2000mg if im not mistaken i would have understood, but come on man u called rescue cuz u took 3 tylenol

I can also tell you about people on a liver transplant list because they took a couple of tylenol but didn't realize all the other cold medicine they took also contained tylenol.

You might want to check that dosage again which should have been included in your patient care report. Not having the correct information together for the ED report will make you look sillier than the patient for calling.
 
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garett1979

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the pt took 3 tylenol, thats it, no other meds, just three tylenol, if the pt had a history and on other meds i would be more concerned, but he had no history, and had a headache.
 

VentMedic

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the pt took 3 tylenol, thats it, no other meds, just three tylenol, if the pt had a history and on other meds i would be more concerned, but he had no history, and had a headache.

I guess telling the ED the patient took 3 Tylenol even if you didn't record the dosage is better than saying 3 white pills.

I may sound critical but proper documentation in the medical profession is extremely important and especially if you are going to use it to criticize a patient or document abuse of the system.
 
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garett1979

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Wow! I was told id meet medics who were refered to as paragods, but i never have until tonight thank you sir
 

reaper

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This was an emergency to him! Did you take the time to educate the man? Someone on a clinical should not have a "BS tolerance level". You are there to learn something, no matter how BS it seems to you.

He thought he had OD, because he took to many. As Vent pointed out, a full history is needed. Did he call for an underlying reason? If it was just the fact that he took one to many, then use the time to educate him on the normal dosage and why it can be bad to exceed it. A lot of providers look at most calls as BS. But, they all need a full assessment to make sure that there are underlying problems, that may be why they really called 911.

This is just for your future knowledge. Learn all you can, even from the smallest calls that seem minor.
 

NRNCEMT

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Wow! I was told id meet medics who were refered to as paragods, but i never have until tonight thank you sir

OT: Hey man, add me to your yahoo, just click on the red Y under my name. I live in Evergreen, work in Tabor and Myrtle Beach.
 
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garett1979

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Oh im very thankful for every min i get on that truck, ive learned 1000 times more on it than ive learned in class, but like vent said, if the patient had taken any other meds, or had a history, i woould have understood, but when the bottle of an otc says dont exceed four and youve only taken 3 come on, but your both medics, and im only a student so i have no room to say im right your wrong, other than the paragod part lol
 

VentMedic

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And for documentation purposes the ed laughed when we arrived and sent the pt straight to triage

They will probably still do a tox screen especially if you did not provide the amount taken or just to confirm the patient's story. Sometimes people with suicide idealations back out of their attempts but know they screwed up enough for some damage. They don't want to be thought of as a psych patient but know they still should get medical help.

Do not let your attitude prevent you from doing a proper assessment and documentation. This will be exactly the type of patient you may get called for a deposition later.

Keep on learning.
 
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garett1979

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vent i did provide the amount taken, three pills, i may not be a medic, or an intermidiate, but i think the ed can calculate the dosage of three otc acemetaphine
 
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