TRAUMA - Episode 8

[Richard B the EMT]

1) We now know a bit more of Nancy's background. She gave up her training to become an MD 7 years ago.

2) The window washer's scaffold is an old standby in shows like this, but at least this one had a safety harness.

3) The window washer's fall partially broke the window. Why didn't the rescuers take the window out, and bring him in that way?

4) Rabbit rappels down the side of the building with the Fire/Rescue guy?

5) The washer's death grip can be a powerful thing, as they practically had to crowbar him off of his "perch".

6) I believe I am NOT the only one to yell at a CPR patient to come back here.

7) Rabbit exhibited bad protocol, which most of us have also done, of riding the rails of the gurney, and performing one handed compressions.

8) "Fly-girl" Marissa yells at Rabbit for her perception of his "heartlessness".

9) SFFD doesn't have a weekly or monthly overtime "cap"? How many consecutive tours can Boone's partner do before drawing reprimands, or overtime denials.

10) Does anyone know if it is possible to have a caffeine "high", or even an overdose?

11) Good catch of the diabetic elderly "drama queen".

12) What was that bit of blowing into the tube? Is it an ALS protocol I haven't seen my paramedics do?

13) Under the "guy's unwritten laws" area, is it not understood that you don't discuss a girl you might soon be "banging," with the girl you are already "banging", as Glen did with the intern?

14) I cannot say about California, but maritime DWI laws exist here in New York State.

15) Hey! They violated a principal of "Reel" life versus "Real" life. When any vehicle hits another vehicle hard and fast enough, the film MUST have one, or both, of the vehicles explode!

16) Re #8, Marissa has obvious differences of opinions with Rabbit on how and when to exhibit emotions on a patient dying on you.

17) Angel 2 doesn't have float-pontoons, and Rabbit went into the water without a life vest, as neither are really an "Air/Sea Rescue" unit.

18) Was the on-board Triage done using START, or SMART?

19) How many times is a patient going to be unsecured in the ambulance or helicopter, and then attack the crews? Seat Belts are there for a reason, and if the patient starts removing them, it's a good sign trouble is about to follow, language barrier not withstanding

20) Marissa is packing heat! I think i saw a 2 inch barrel .38 "Dick Tracy" 5 shot revolver. Why is she packing? Also, why didn't they address the fact that a pilot/EMT had the piece with her at work, in midair? Does either California or San Fran law allow either ambulance or Medevac personnel to carry? I make my repeated statement that either having a "piece" on board an FDNY vehicle, or on the grounds of a department facility, except for the Fire Marshals, is grounds for departmental termination of employment.

21) Adding to the sinking boat, the missing woman is under the smaller boat through the side of the larger one, and possibly full term pregnant.

22) Strike that! She is either full term, or trauma induced labor. No Braxton/Hicks here!

23) Add more drama, with a limb presentation birth, complicated by the baby';s delivery causing pressure on the umbilicus.

24) Of course the baby is in arrest, and of course, Rabbit does successful CPR to revive the newborn.

25) I pity the child, as it appears that, through the English/Hungarian translations, they are going to name him after his savior. They are going to name him Rabbit! (Rabbit's real name is Reuben, for the trivia experts amongst us)

26) After transfer of care to the hospital staff of mother, father, and baby, Rabbit kind of collapses back into his seat in the helicopter. He is either exhibiting emotional or physical exhaustion, proving that our superhero is human, after all.

27) Nancy's dad is a surgeon, and she understands his upset at himself when he was unable to save his best friend of many years. Perhaps that is why she mentions her cases are 10 to 30 minutes long, and easier to endure?

28) Rabbit does his best explanation to Marissa that both "wins" and "losses" do affect him, but the ways of dealing with it are going to be different from one individual to another.

29) Nice last touch, that of Marissa putting the stork onto the instrument panel.

[Dustdevil]

This was absolutely the WORST episode so far. Horrible. They absolutely destroyed the only likable character on the entire show, Marisa, by turning her into a stereotypical whining female who can't handle the stress, and unzipping her flight suit down to her xiphoid.

I'm surprised that the feminazis aren't all over the show's director and producers over their demeaning, stereotypical treatment of all the female characters. All three of them are presented as slutty, emotionally fragile idiots. It's very sad.

Yes, you can have some significant issues with caffeine overdose. Even more significantly, you can have serious issues with a niacin flush from the niacin present in those energy drinks. I kept expecting that to happen, the way they emphasised how they were slamming those down. Maybe the gay dude will have a niacin flush syncope and crash the ambo, killing them both. That'd be a nice end.

Blowing into the syringe was just a method for producing a Valsalva's manoeuvre to end the SVT.

Good catch on the "guys' unwritten rules" thing!

My satellite dish chose the precise five seconds to lose the signal so that I missed Marisa pulling her weapon out. A pilot buddy of mine immediately texted me asking, "Whoa, did you see that?" Good on her. I'm hoping this foreshadows the final episode, where Marisa's PTSD gets the best of her, and she goes on a workplace shooting rampage, killing the entire cast.

And on passengers attacking the flight crew, it's a little ironic that this has become a regular thing, considering Rabbit's readiness to use Versed in the pilot episode. Maybe they took it away from him after that.

Edited November 18, 2009 by Dustdevil

[Eydawn]

Caffeine overdose/high is very possible, I have seen it before... tachy, icky, vomiting... usually happens with people who down energy drinks when they're not supposed to, or with high doses of diet pills.

Wendy

CO EMT-B

[Siffaliss]

Sooo ... sounds like I'm not missing much by not having watched one single episode of this show. How many more left now, 5 episodes?

[scubanurse]

12) What was that bit of blowing into the tube? Is it an ALS protocol I haven't seen my paramedics do?

I believe it was because the patients heart rate was 216 and they were attempting to vagal her down by doing the bear down technique of blowing into the syringe to stimulate the vagus nerve to slow down HR

17) Angel 2 doesn't have float-pontoons, and Rabbit went into the water without a life vest, as neither are really an "Air/Sea Rescue" unit.

Rabbit did have a PFD on, one of the new low profile ones that have a CO2 cartridge attached so that when submerged it automatically inflates the PFD. It can be seen when he is climbing back into the helicopter

24) Of course the baby is in arrest, and of course, Rabbit does successful CPR to revive the newborn.

I take issue that once baby was out there was no visible warming or stimulation of the baby attempted. Mama was most likely hypothermic by the way she was shivering on the boat and her lips were blue yet baby was just laid on her and not warmed up and stimulated right away?

Just my notes on what you said... It was a horrible episode though. No way would an attractive woman walk into an all male bay looking like that...cover yourself up woman!

[Richard B the EMT]

I need a clarification on something I must have missed. After Rabbit got the guy into the ambulance, was his uniform dry by the time they found out about the pregnant woman still on the boat? Continuity problem if he dried out so quick.

ScoobyKate, that was something (item # 24) I feel embarrassed to have missed. Good catch!

[Dustdevil]

It's just another example of the huge contradiction of this show. They go out of their way to be medically specific with all the zebra diagnoses and unheard of scenarios, yet at the same time they seem to take absolutely no interest in mundane issues of medical accuracy. I understand that it's just TV, so absolute medical accuracy isn't a big deal for me. But the contradiction just accentuates the inaccuracy. It also destroys their ability to use "it's just TV" as a valid excuse.