Tuesday, February 9, 2010

I'll admit it, I'm a cardiac chicken...

McDreamy Partner goes out for a chest pain in the middle of nowhere in the middle of a blizzard, you guessed it, guy was having an inferior MI. McDP brings pt to the local hospital due to road conditions, we can at least stabalize and get thrombolytics on board, pt found to be having an inferior as well as a RVI...the docs originally decide to admit to CCU here until they can get him transferred to Big City Hospital for a cath. Third Partner says he has connections and can arrange for state DOT plow trucks to lead the way all the way to Big City for the ambulance, so everything gets arranged and the question is asked, which of us wants to go with the local FD ambulance with this guy. There are 3 of us, we all have the same education, 2 of us with less experience, I admit, I was chicken, I didnt want to take this unstable pt in a major snowstorm, partner 2 says the last AMI he had in the last snow storm coded on him in the town square and he is still shell shocked (I DID transport that one in the midst of the last snowstorm) and so we talked partner 3 into going, after all, he has more experience....

I would have taken it if no other choice....but I guess my thought was it was in the patient's best interest for the most experienced medic to go, right??

I still tend to get a little gun shy with cardiac patients, even after 2 1/2 years of being a paramedic.....it doesn't seem to matter how many ACLS or 12-lead classes I sit through....Any helpful advice is welcome.....

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