June 21, 2010
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Night Shift
Yeah, sometimes the night shift is boring. Random drunk people sleeping it off. Minor cuts and coughs. Other times, well, let me list what was wrong with my one patient…
1. Respiratory failure (so he got intubated so we can breath for him)
2. Left pneumothorax (collapsed lung)
3. Left Hemothorax (lung cavity filled with blood), he got a left sided chest tube
4. Right pneumothorax (collapsed lung)
5. Right hemothorax (right chest tube)
6. Aortic transection (the big artery, right off the heart, try not to damage that one)
7. Free air in the abdomen (ouch)
8. Left Tibial plateau fracture (BAD leg fracture)
9. Comminuted left tibia/fibula fracture
10. Right tibial plateau fracture
11. Comminuted right tibia/fibula fracture
12. Multiple rib fracture, flail chest
13. Abrasion/lacerations… all over
14. Low blood pressure
15. Low oxygen saturation
16. Intrathoracic bleeding
17. Bad hygieneStabilized and off to the operating room with you.
For an ER doc, this is fun (and scary as well). This is real medicine where the patient would VERY likely have died in the near future without interventions. Though after the case, I was spent. Yay for awesome support staff (and awesome PA working at the same time).
So was I done? Was that all the chaos of the day? No, that’s when the 350lb psych patient decided to start getting naked and running through the halls. And people ask if it’s hard to stay awake during the night shifts… yeah right!
Comments (7)
Wow. How did that happen?!!?
Btw, I love your posts, I did some decent medical education so for the most part, I know what you’re talking about, which I loveeeeeeeee. I love medical stuffs :3
I’m a little less than pleased with the staff at my local hospital. But I love reading about you and yours.
@haloed - Brought in by EMS. I assume it was person vs. car. Or person vs. truck. Or person vs. train. Usually the person loses these battles.
@Bricker59 - yeah, I read the stories about your multiple interactions with the health care system and it made me cringe. There ARE many good places out there, but sometimes all it takes is one (or two or three or how many in your case?) bad interaction to make the whole thing really be terrible.
@slicy - definitely. Ouch. So you’re an ER doc? How much education do you have to go through to be that? Is it so bad I want to work in a place like that too? Hehe.
@haloed - Yuppers, ER doc FTW
4 years college, 4 years med school, 3years residency. Yeah it’s fun, you get to see lots of interesting stuff and actually help people sometimes.
@slicy - man, so much school, lol, I’m already nearly 24 and I want to be popping out kids in 4 years… that hardly leaves much room for school
BUT I do want to work in a hospital, very much. I’m thinking some sort of filing lady, lol. I love ER dramas and real stories of the ER and all that. Plus your site is just a delight to visit 
Yuck!