Wierd call. Can you create a scenario that justifies it?

[jonas salk]

Hello, The patient's wife is a NP with critical care expereince. Here is a better article:

http://thechronicleh...-ns-man-s-death

Personally, leaving the wife on the highway and returning to the ski hill was odd.A very sad case.Cheers

No one disputed that she was an NP. Personally if a loved one needed ems and all i got were 240 hr EMT-Bs i'd be pissed too.

[DwayneEMTP]

Jonas, I see in most of the articles that they mention 'paramedics' in several places, I'm not sure where you're getting your info that the call was run by basics?

[jonas salk]

The article referred to them as EMTs.

Also, wasn't the article a from an Ontario newspaper? If so, then the author may be assuming that the EMS system here is the same as Maine where we are all titled paramedics regardless of level (primary care paramedic, ACP, CCP).

[island emt]

She said he was initially alert but in pain. He went into cardiac arrest after being loaded into the ambulance. Morse said she performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him.

The ambulance left for the hospital with her in the front passenger seat but she alleges ambulance personal left her on the side of the road after she asked to sit in the back and hold his hand as his condition worsened. She was told he died a few minutes later.

SO Which was it????

Was she in the back doing CPR on her husband when he went into arrest""" OR was she in the front seat and asked to get out and get into the back to hold her husbands hand when his condition worsened ?????

Way to many conflicting stories out there in the press.

[DwayneEMTP]

Yeah Island, good point...

It will be interesting to see what the investigation has to say, but if it's even remotely honest, I'm guessing that she will not come out of it looking very good.

And I hate the tone of the article that makes it sound, as I'm sure that she reported, that she said something like, "Please sir....May I...sniff, please be allowed to...sniff sniff...hold my husbands hand...moan...in his last moments of life?" And the response was, "NO! Now out on the road you whiny bitch!"

When, in my experience, it was more than likely related to, "Stop this ambulance you ignorant motherfucker! Let me in the back! I swear to God I will have your job! I'm a taxpayer, I pay your salary! You better fucking listen to me! I'm a nurse you have to listen to MEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!" (Again, not sniping nurses, as I love you, (at least the boob people, I'm indifferent to the Murses) but guessing at the temperment of a nurse that manages to get thrown out of an ambulance."

Probably not an exact quote, but having been in like situations where angry/upset people were disallowed riding based on their behavior, and based on the fact that her first call was to the papers, and I'm sure her second to a lawyer, I'd be willing to bet that I'm not far off...

Dwayne

[paramedicmike]

There are an awful lot of questions surrounding this case and very few facts. Perhaps we should wait and see what the investigation turns up.

[DwayneEMTP]

And lose bragging rights for pulling the answer out of the ether?

I don't think so....

:-)

[jonas salk]

She said he was initially alert but in pain. He went into cardiac arrest after being loaded into the ambulance. Morse said she performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him. The ambulance left for the hospital with her in the front passenger seat but she alleges ambulance personal left her on the side of the road after she asked to sit in the back and hold his hand as his condition worsened. She was told he died a few minutes later. SO Which was it???? Was she in the back doing CPR on her husband when he went into arrest""" OR was she in the front seat and asked to get out and get into the back to hold her husbands hand when his condition worsened ????? Way to many conflicting stories out there in the press.

I'm going to guess that he was c/o abdo pain, arrested as they loaded him into the truck, got a rosc, she jumped up front. Something changed, she asked to go to back, and then got left at the side of the road.

A lot of details are obviously missing. Somehow she ended up at the side of the road. Personally, regardless of how much of a bitch she is, i can't really think of any situation other than her physically assaulting the crew for her to end up at the side of the road. Particualrly since this was a mountain road during a snow storm.

[island emt]

When it comes to situations like this: I don't take wild ass guesses. The facts will come out in the investigation.

The facts are , he skied into a tree at speed suffering chest trauma.

The facts are skiing takes a few lives every year.

The ambulance service will make an announcement along with the state.

[DFIB]

One point I find interesting and may have been a critical turning point in the story it the fact she claims to have performed CPR in the ambulance.

Do any of you know of anyone that allow bystanders or family members to provide treatment to your patient once they are in your care? What proof did they have that she was a practitioner?

Another important point is that if the patient quick deteriorated after suffering axial trauma to the trunk the possibility of hypovolemic shock is high. This is a stretch but it is not improbable that his cardiac arrest was caused by decompensated shock and in which case CPR would be futile as well.

What wolud you do if the accompanying family member attempted to take over the care and treatment of your patient? in fact I think I like this one for a different thread.

Edited February 10, 2012 by DFIB