Burritomedic1127
Forum Captain
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Ran a SOB call on a pt who has been receiving photodynamic therapy for lung cancer. The cancer treatment was unknown until we made pt contact. When we arrived on scene (around 0100) in a lightning/rain storm, no lights on from inside/outside the house or any apparatus already on scene, and in a huge house in the middle of the woods nowhere. Picture beginning of horror movie. Inside the house I find everyone (police, FD, pt, pts family) all together in a room with no lights on in the dark. This photodynamic therapy is pretty wild. Its a medication injected in the bloodstream that attaches to all types of cells in your body. The thing is is that its stays attached to cancer cells longer than normal cells, so when the medication is dissolving off of the normal cells it will stay attached to the cancer cells for up to 72 hours longer. Once only the cancer cells are saturated then they go in with a certain wavelength light that reacts with the medication creating an oxygen that kills the cancer cells. But if that person is exposed to light before the the medication is dissolved off of the normal cells, then the light will react and burn the pt. Def some interesting stuff. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/photodynamic
Needless to say, all interventions/assessments were done in the dark, complete with transporting the pt with no lights and covered in head to toe with blankets complete with sunglasses for style points. I never have heard of this type of cancer treatment so I figured id spread the word before anyone goes and burns someone from turning the lights on haha
Needless to say, all interventions/assessments were done in the dark, complete with transporting the pt with no lights and covered in head to toe with blankets complete with sunglasses for style points. I never have heard of this type of cancer treatment so I figured id spread the word before anyone goes and burns someone from turning the lights on haha
