Patient dies during discharge

[ERDoc]

Seriously, WTF? I try to give EMS the benefit of the doubt but I can't make this any better when I try to think it out.

http://www.emsvillage.com/articles/article.cfm?id=1779

[DwayneEMTP]

So let's say that you can forgive or somehow excuse the mishandling of the trach, how do you, in any world, explain away them not noticing a dying patient happening right before their eyes? To the point where they attempt the handover of an actually dead patient?

Makes me want to spit...

[island emt]

it was tran scare :: u call :::: We haul ::::

hardly what one thinks of when the topic of EMS comes up.

Edited May 31, 2014 by island emt

[ERDoc]

it was tran scare :: u call :::: We haul ::::

hardly what one thinks of when the topic of EMS comes up.

Not all of us who worked for transcare are bad people.

I'm having trouble figuring out what they tried to tape. Trachs are pretty simple. There is a hole and that hole should not be blocked or your pt might die. If it isn't broke, don't touch it.

[Caduceus]

The husband said he couldn't get the paramedics to pay attention to her...if you're not paying attention to the pt in the back of your rig, what are you paying attention to???

[mikeymedic1984]

The husband said he couldn't get the paramedics to pay attention to her...if you're not paying attention to the pt in the back of your rig, what are you paying attention to???

I am guessing their cell phone ..................................................................

[Just Plain Ruff]

I will offer only a cursory defence for these dipshits - they didn't know how to take care of a patient with a trach!!!!! I'm sure that is the underlying reason why they taped the trach.

But that being said, how can you freaking miss a person dying in front of you? Unless you of course are messing with your cell phone.

Thsi guy should sue and should see if he can subpoena the text messages from the "medic" in the back. I'll bet that they tell a different story than what he's telling.

For all you hiring managers out there. - Re-read that article and put on your bulletin board in 72font letter - DO NOT HIRE and then put the medics name and emt's name.

[Kiwiology]

Fuckwits ... absolute fuckwits. I disclaim little knowledge of tracheostomy care or maintenance but even me, who is dumb as a box of rocks, knows better not to tape the thing.

I wonder why they taped it to begin with and what they were trying to achieve?

I can understand if they were administering positive pressure ventilation for example then occluding the trach would be beneficial to create a closed ventilation circuit but in the absence of this .... WHAT THE HELL MAN?

Looks like this might be a legit win of the lawsuit lottery.

[scubanurse]

I'm guessing they took the blue trach collar tubing and placed it directly over the trach instead of just placing the collar over the trach, that would allow her to breath in the O2, but not breathe out CO2 if it's a cuffed trach. I can picture it, but not sure if that made sense. I feel like when the medics were wheeling the patient out, someone should have noticed?

Edited June 8, 2014 by scubanurse