Paramedic Died While working Code Texas

[JakeEMTP]

3) If it's anything like codes here there was probably a bunch of FF's holding bags and doing CPR and a cop taking notes. Plenty of help to push on the chest and bag and with the spare pads you can always swap from one arrest to the other. The code summary will be totally useless after, but you could manage. Actually, FD would probably have an AED on their truck too.

Luxury! (as he says in his best Monty Python voice) We have some ff's arrive on scene and they will do anything asked of them. Others not so much. They can do compressions and bag, which is all we ask of them. If I was unfortunate enough to be placed in this situation, another ambulance is at minmum 20 minutes away. I would have to choose which patient to work.

[spenac]

http://www.jems.com/news_and_articles/news...ck_on_call.html

[mediccjh]

Screw the patient, your partner comes first.

It's taught the first day in EMT and Medic class: It's you, then your partner, then the patient.

[spenac]

Texas gossip is that they got the patients pulse back just before he collapsed. Don't know if that is true or not. Also would it change your way of deciding who to treat if you were alone with the patient and now pulseless partner?

[Just Plain Ruff]

Screw the patient, your partner comes first.

It's taught the first day in EMT and Medic class: It's you, then your partner, then the patient.

But what about the duty to the patient you were taking care of first.

It's not like you can just say "Oh the original patient is dead so I'm gonna work on my partner"

What a conundrum. Not a place I'd like to be put in.

But if Spenac's most recent post of getting a pulse back is true then who's the more viable patient? The one who has a pulse or the one who doesn't.

You would have to treat it like a mass casualty incident where your personal resources are overstretched which they are and you treat the one with a pulse and do not treat the one without a pulse.

I truly understand the partner thing but it's a very bad situation to be in.

I would think the family would have a very good shot at a settlement or judgement if you just stopped working their loved one while you tried to save your partner.

I'm not sure what kind of help the guy had but if there was help there then he should have been able to treat both patients until a 2nd ambulance got there.

Seriously, isn't this what we are trained to do? Treat multiple patients at the same time. It may tax our resources but we do this all the time don't we?

Now if you are all alone with you and your partner and you are already working a code you do the best you can.

[mobey]

Honestly if I were put in this situation if the patient was pulseless I would do like 15 compressions on each patient and fark the resirations. Yaya, no one is getting proper CPR..... on the other hand, at least they are both getting SOMETHING! until another unit shows up.

But one thing is for SURE... as soon as I felt no pulse on my partner nothing would stop me from immediatly defibrillating him, and if he was asystole, I would attempt to pace it just for shits & giggles.

[HellsBells]

Actually, I would think it would be better if the pt had just got a pulse back as the medic went down. Now you can focus compressions and use the monitor soley for the coded medic. Of course the original pt could become pulseless again, but like a previous post stated, you could have defib pads on both pts and swap the cables back and forth.

[medic82942003]

Lived with this every day while SAR flight medic with marines, unfortunately in the military your

trained the patient comes first. had alot of friends die in crashes.- had to go to crash sites and put

them in body bags. had to become fatalistic. when your time was up, your time was up. other

wise if you thought to much, you end up in rubber room. As far as 911 ambulance had a partner

have a seizure, another pass out from IDDM.

Since this getleman died during a code, i am sure he is shaking hands with Jesus right now.

If your going to die, buying the farm helping someone isnt such a bad way to go.

My sympathy to Family's of both people. If this happens to me, you can only do what you have

to work with. If you did your best, IE Shock/CPR Drugs intubate CPR until you pass out.

Be safe cheers. Rest in Peace to the Medic who died during the code. As our SAR Motto goes

SO OTHERS MAY LIVE. May God Bless the families.