What is a hero/ life saver

[runswithneedles]

Ive thought about this question for such a long time. Ive worked in private since I acquired my cert and only began getting into 911 a few weeks ago. I always believed that in order to say one has saved a life they need to be able to treat the underlying cause of the chief complaint. When a EMT or medic brings someone back from cardiac arrest they have succeeded in prolonging a patients life. However the underlying cause of the cardiac arrest might not have been addressed, thus leaving the patient in a condition where it would be very probable another cardiac arrest can occur.

Ive always looked at paramedics as the professionals who make the first critical decisions in the patients outcome. Treats the signs/symptoms of the c/c and keep the patient stable until they arrive to the hospital where definitive care can treat the underlying cause.

Edited February 27, 2012 by runswithneedles

[nypamedic43]

Saving someone from a cardiac arrest is just doing our job. Outcomes post arrest are grim. I've worked 2 arrests in the last week, got a pulse and a pressure back on both of them, only to find out they passed a couple of days later. I sometimes wonder to myself...Have I done them any good at all. I dont think I have. I prolonged thier lives long enough for family to say goodbye. I guess that should be enough but it isnt.

[DFIB]

Can the paramedic save a life? Yes, Anyone can save a life with a little training and basic knowledge,

Is it arrogant of one’s self to call himself a hero? Probably

And what makes a hero or a lifesaver? A hero has to risk a pretty significant price to get to be a hero in my book. A person would have to be willing to trade their life for the life of another to be a hero to me. They may not lose their life but have to be willing to trade it.

A lifesaver is self explanatory.

As an EMT I don't get to really save that many people because of our limited scope of practice. I really can only think of a couple of patients that if I had not been there would have definitely died.

Have I done things that risked personal injury to help people? Sure.

Do I get paid for it? Nope.

Do I think i am a hero for making dumb decisions that fortunately helped someone in the end? Not at all.

[systemet]

Anyways. Here's the questions I truly would like to debate. Can the paramedic save a life?(Medically speaking here, lets try to keep religion off the board for this one) And if so is he a hero for doing so.

Yes (to saving a life). But, in most situations, we're just part of a chain of care that functions as well as its weakest part. For example, there's several people (hopefully) still walking around today because I defibrillated them promptly when I witnessed the onset of pulseless VT / VF. I think all of them had MIs. Most of them probably wouldn't be alive if someone hadn't then gone and done an angioplasty, given thrombolysis, taken care of them in the ICU (including whoever it was that cleaned the room, or made it possible to give them a wristband or print a bunch of stickers to attach to all their lab work), or if they hadn't had good cardiac rehabilitation. Perhaps some of them are dead again now. It wouldn't be out of the question given their history. Anyone with a defibrillator could have done what I did in those circumstances, it didn't require any great skill. In fact, not doing it properly would have been quite hard, and definitely grounds for malpractice for anyone in a paid role.

I know several of the people above survived to discharge because they sent me notes, or even better, food. There's been countless cardiac arrests that I've got pulses back on, only to have them die days or weeks later, or be severely disabled. Especially when we used to give much more epinephrine. Were their lives saved? Not really. Is anyone's life ever really saved? We all die eventually. I worked a teenager in a house-fire, and got pulses back long enough for him to die 48 hours later. I felt guilty for it, and thought I'd caused great harm to his family by giving them a period of false hope. They felt differently, and thanked me a year later.

How would any modern city look if the sanitation department went on strike for a few months? Not so great, right? We'd be dying of infectious disease left, right and center. Are those guys saving lives? I'm pretty sure in the aggregate they do more to reduce death and disability than I have, or the departments I've worked for have.

Is it arrogant of ones self to call himself a hero?

Yes.

And what makes a hero or a lifesaver?

Not, in my opinion, just going to work and doing your job. I had some thoughts about this in an earlier thread. A bunch of people were kind enough to give it a "+1". A lot of other people made great points on the same thread, it's over here:

http://www.emtcity.c...ex/page__st__30

I would add to this, that I believe over a long enough period of time doing the work of a police officer, paramedic, nurse, physician, respiratory therapist, school teacher, social worker, even firefighter, could perhaps be considered "heroic". I have a lot of respect for people who've done EMS for 30 years, still care about their patients, and have mentored countless new generations of paramedics and EMTs, and generally made a positive impact on the occupaton / profession, but I doubt most of them would consider themselves hero's. I might lose a bit of respect for them if they did.

Edited February 29, 2012 by systemet

[craig]

by reading all the press clippings a hero and lifsaver all fall under the description of FIREFIGHTER.........

or that is the impression that is forwarded....all i can say is what a bunch of wankers to refer to them selves in such a way....talk about reading you own press.

can ambos save a life.....my bloody oath...ie narcan and IPPV for a opioid overdose

are you a hero for doing so....only in the eyes of the family members of the one you saved (and the person in particular)

should you refer to yourself as a hero.....not on your nelly.......thats conceited and reserved for firefighters

what makes a hero........google either the Victoria Cross or the Medal of Honour and see what does

what makes a life saver.........a confectionary company or a person that saves a life....not bloody rocket science.

[Kiwiology]

[craig]

sorry kiwi........

wouldn't that be "ruckit si-unce"?..........

[Kiwiology]

sorry kiwi........

wouldn't that be "ruckit si-unce"?..........

Wouldn't that be how about I come kick the shit out of you?

Poor kiwi, so unintelligent, can't think up a better comebaaaack

[runswithneedles]

Saving someone from a cardiac arrest is just doing our job. Outcomes post arrest are grim. I've worked 2 arrests in the last week, got a pulse and a pressure back on both of them, only to find out they passed a couple of days later. I sometimes wonder to myself...Have I done them any good at all. I dont think I have. I prolonged thier lives long enough for family to say goodbye. I guess that should be enough but it isnt.

Even though you might not have changed the patients outcome. You did indirectly change the outcome of how the family says goodbye to their loved one. And if a family member has time to say goodbye to them I think that might make it worth it.

should you refer to yourself as a hero.....not on your nelly.......thats conceited and reserved for firefighters

Hmm what happens when you get the hybrid FF/paramedic?

sorry kiwi........

wouldn't that be "ruckit si-unce"?..........

Makes me think of dustdevil

[craig]

Wouldn't that be how about I come kick the shit out of you?

Poor kiwi, so unintelligent, can't think up a better comebaaaack

c'mon kiwi.....that would be "keck the shut" wouldn't it?......

just joking, my brother from across the dutch.............

Hmm what happens when you get the hybrid FF/paramedic?

Well like all things that are hybrid........dogs, cats, toyotas.....they all end up as defective in some way....hope that answers your question........isn't there enough work to do as a firefighter that causes the need to be in ems as well...?