The Emo Patient and You

[Lone Star]

When I was a patient after getting wiped out on my motorcycle, I found out the next day that the EMS crew that treated me hacked up clothing that there was no need to cut. I can understand them hacking up the leather jacket, (even as much as I hated to get it destroyed). I can understand them hacking through the shirt and Levi's I had on...but there's items that they cut which I still can't figure out why they did it...

The gloves I had on had a velcro strap to close them. All that had to be done was peel the one side from the other and slip the glove off the hand. Instead, they cut the vecro straps, and slid the gloves off my hands.

The socks I was wearing were also hacked up....c'mon now! The western boots I had on were slipped off my feet. Realistically, taking those boots off would have put more pulling forces as well as torque on the lower extremities than the socks would ever could. They didn't cut the boots, but cut the socks....why?

Having worked more than one or two trauma calls, I can understand the need to cut clothing away. I can also see where preserving the patients personal property is also required.

Far too often, we in EMS get into the mindset of, "It's not MY clothing/I don't have to pay for it/I didn't buy it" as we grab the trauma shears.

Similar to the phrase in Firefighting, "Try before you pry"; EMS needs to "Cut when necessary, but preserve where you can".

[Don1977]

If the patient is that conversant, do they really need the IV, or are you putting it in for self serving 'because I could' reasons?

From my experience, with 1 noteable exception, i have never had a patient argue about cutting off clothing etc. I did, with the 1 noteable exception give him a choice, cut it off or use the External Jugular. He saw my way of thinking.

Knowing you it was a "she"..............was she hot?????

[Chief1C]

Misunderstanding Alert.

If you cut someone's property without an imminent medical need, you're really not thinking clearly and just being a douche. Sorry. You can dislike the "emo kid" and all his jelly bracelets... but unless you can't get them off without cutting, you have no right to destroy his property. What's wrong with you?

I didn't say what was wrong with the patient, b/c that wasn't the purpose of my quip. I don't post when I cut a trauma victims clothes off.. There was swelling, bilaterally, they were stretched so tight I just barely got the tip of the pen cap/pocket doo hickey under them. I cut them so as to restore color and use to the hands. I was just sharing my story of how I coined battle scared silly bandz. They're annoying. If the patient already had them on "tightly" b/c of arm size, consider what will happen if the extremities swell. Thanks for assuming I hate the patient b/c the patient wears black.

Looks like once again flashlights, badges, lights and sirens and uniforms have attracted the wrong type of people to EMS who bring the wrong attitude to the job.

Thanks for making me feel bad, I should have said that I cut them off b/c it was medically necessary. But since it's a big fad now, I thought I'd share my first experience with silly bandz. They stretch, but not enough, dozens of tiny tourniquets.. I've been an EMT for eleven years, paid and volunteer. Never had one complaint from a patient. I have my own way to go about things, I'm big on the statement in our protocols that allow to form them for the best care of the patient. I like to be able to go home and ask myself if I did the right things, and I did that best I could. The same protocols, b/c they aren't shaped for rural EMS, ended my week badly. They didn't allow me to save my patient, b/c of a technicality.. I thought this was a funny story, not too often can you get a funny bit out of a horrible situation. They don't teach how you talk to someone who doesn't want to see tomorrow. Nowhere does it say that I didn't like the patient. The pt., lacked appreciation of life, per se. I tried to pull them off, got one of those cause bands off. But the others were screamin', said I'll buy ya new ones kid, but they're coming off. I do that sometimes, if someone says it's my only good pair or.. or my only good.. I feel guilty and offer, once I obliged. I got called stuff that would make a preacher faint. The pt. was pissed, but when I told the pt. what (the pt) could do with them now, well that was funny, and it opened a rapport, more info was spilled out, and that was that. But nobody wants to hear about that.

Edited June 2, 2010 by 4c6

[maverick56]

Misunderstanding Alert.

I didn't say what was wrong with the patient, b/c that wasn't the purpose of my quip. I don't post when I cut a trauma victims clothes off.. There was swelling, bilaterally, they were stretched so tight I just barely got the tip of the pen cap/pocket doo hickey under them. I cut them so as to restore color and use to the hands. I was just sharing my story of how I coined battle scared silly bandz. They're annoying. If the patient already had them on "tightly" b/c of arm size, consider what will happen if the extremities swell. Thanks for assuming I hate the patient b/c the patient wears black.

Thanks for making me feel bad, I should have said that I cut them off b/c it was medically necessary. But since it's a big fad now, I thought I'd share my first experience with silly bandz. They stretch, but not enough, dozens of tiny tourniquets.. I've been an EMT for eleven years, paid and volunteer. Never had one complaint from a patient. I have my own way to go about things, I'm big on the statement in our protocols that allow to form them for the best care of the patient. I like to be able to go home and ask myself if I did the right things, and I did that best I could. The same protocols, b/c they aren't shaped for rural EMS, ended my week badly. They didn't allow me to save my patient, b/c of a technicality.. I thought this was a funny story, not too often can you get a funny bit out of a horrible situation. They don't teach how you talk to someone who doesn't want to see tomorrow. Nowhere does it say that I didn't like the patient. The pt., lacked appreciation of life, per se. I tried to pull them off, got one of those cause bands off. But the others were screamin', said I'll buy ya new ones kid, but they're coming off. I do that sometimes, if someone says it's my only good pair or.. or my only good.. I feel guilty and offer, once I obliged. I got called stuff that would make a preacher faint. The pt. was pissed, but when I told the pt. what (the pt) could do with them now, well that was funny, and it opened a rapport, more info was spilled out, and that was that. But nobody wants to hear about that.

I personally think people grossly jumped to conclusions on this. If it makes you feel better, I understood where you were going with it. Way to explain yourself anyway though.

edit: rewording

Edited June 2, 2010 by maverick56

[Boolancedriver911]

Your eagerness to cut off clothing which you find trivial because of your intolerance of a certain group of people is disturbing. I have never had to cut off clothing on non critical patients, and kids at a concert are probably not critical patients. Have you never gone through a phase as a teenager? This can be seen as willful distraction of property which is a crime. You have betrayed the trust given to you as an EMS provider to do only what is right for your patients. Looks like once again flashlights, badges, lights and sirens and uniforms have attracted the wrong type of people to EMS who bring the wrong attitude to the job.

Wendy, plus one for a great post.

Your a real winner...........and to support wendy....please....

[Don1977]

Misunderstanding Alert.

I didn't say what was wrong with the patient, b/c that wasn't the purpose of my quip. I don't post when I cut a trauma victims clothes off.. There was swelling, bilaterally, they were stretched so tight I just barely got the tip of the pen cap/pocket doo hickey under them. I cut them so as to restore color and use to the hands. I was just sharing my story of how I coined battle scared silly bandz. They're annoying. If the patient already had them on "tightly" b/c of arm size, consider what will happen if the extremities swell. Thanks for assuming I hate the patient b/c the patient wears black.

Thanks for making me feel bad, I should have said that I cut them off b/c it was medically necessary. But since it's a big fad now, I thought I'd share my first experience with silly bandz. They stretch, but not enough, dozens of tiny tourniquets.. I've been an EMT for eleven years, paid and volunteer. Never had one complaint from a patient. I have my own way to go about things, I'm big on the statement in our protocols that allow to form them for the best care of the patient. I like to be able to go home and ask myself if I did the right things, and I did that best I could. The same protocols, b/c they aren't shaped for rural EMS, ended my week badly. They didn't allow me to save my patient, b/c of a technicality.. I thought this was a funny story, not too often can you get a funny bit out of a horrible situation. They don't teach how you talk to someone who doesn't want to see tomorrow. Nowhere does it say that I didn't like the patient. The pt., lacked appreciation of life, per se. I tried to pull them off, got one of those cause bands off. But the others were screamin', said I'll buy ya new ones kid, but they're coming off. I do that sometimes, if someone says it's my only good pair or.. or my only good.. I feel guilty and offer, once I obliged. I got called stuff that would make a preacher faint. The pt. was pissed, but when I told the pt. what (the pt) could do with them now, well that was funny, and it opened a rapport, more info was spilled out, and that was that. But nobody wants to hear about that.

Don't explain to them! remember when you assume you make an A-S-S out of you and me.....

Gotta love armchair medics/EMT's, dont you 4c.....

[Chief1C]

No, I'm no hypocrite. I'd have said similar things If I thought someone harmed a patient out of disrespect. I was a prep myself, dyed my hair blonde, dressed beyond my means. Fit in where need to, it's their life to live or ruin. It's our job to put the wheels back on the track, in case they want to get to the next station.

[Happiness]

So when I read this post really I wondered what the hell is a nemo kid. I live in a small town and I'm not thinking we have any, but with cutting things off.

In my community we have alot of people who do not have money to replace clothing ect. I will cut off clothing if needed.

I have a frequent flyer and not once have I had to cut his cloths in 14 years. Then one day he decided sleeping in a cold place and having snow fall on him was something to exeperience I had to cut off everything to warm him up. I hated doing this but there is a time and a place for it.

I'm sure that the OP didnt cut off whatever the nemo kids have on because of discrimination but because of need for medical attention.

[Chief1C]

What was "Goth" a decade ago, is "Emotion" now. Emo. Nemo is that fish. It's a cultural style, has a different meaning to everyone.

[daedalus]

Your a real winner...........and to support wendy....please....

I really don't care about online popularity contests. The OP posted something on an internet forum where the public is free to reply and I posted my opinion. I can see that you think that destroying property when not nessecary is trivial. A 110 hour certain class or even a paramedic program does not give one the right to indiscrimatley use those shears in your pocket just because you find the way someone dresses silly. How could what you have written in response to my post been any less intelligent or debate provoking than the thumbs down emoticon you have in their? A "real winner"......