March 24, 2009

• Awkwardity

  Recently I have had a bunch of patients that have required intubation in the ER.

  That is fine.  If you can’t breath, and the only option you have for survival is for me to put a piece of plastic through your vocal chords to breathe for you… well then fine.  I like the procedure.  It is something that makes life in the ER quite exciting since you are taking away the on thing that keeps everyone alive… breathing and replacing that with a machine.  We have to do it to all sorts of people from the typical difficulty breathing to the people who are so drunk that they forget how to breath in the first place…  Pretty crazy stuff.

  However.

  Current trends have changed from the past.  Now, if a patient is receiving CPR, doctors are supposed to ask if family wants to watch as their family receives chest compressions, intubation, and other treatments.  I know CPR on TV can be glamorous and amazing, but in the real world it is brutal.  Ribs break, patients vomit and soil themselves, and blood can be everywhere.  It can be a total mess.  what I am told is that people want to see that the doctors/nurses/techs are all doing everything they can to save their loved ones life.  However, it seems like it might be a pretty graphic last image of a loved one.

  Recently a patients spouse asked to stay in the room while their significant other was intubated.  I did not have any problem with that, other than it was a bit awkward.  I don’t think I would want to watch my wife get intubated, and I have more experience with it than the vast majority. 

  Out of curiosity, just wondering if anyone out there would want to watch CPR of a loved one?

  Would you want to watch your loved one get intubated or other invasive procedures?

  

  • 1:14 am
  • 3 Comments