EMS' Epic Fail/Walk of Shame Moments

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Permalink Reply by Skip Kirkwood on June 27, 2012 at 6:46pm

Knowing what I now know (but didn't then) about ambulance safety and the efficacy, or lack thereof, of IV fluid resuscitation in trauma patients, I can't believe that I once upon a time put my partner, a very small woman, on the shelf on the other side of the box so that she could start an IV on a severely traumatized patient.  Totally unsecure, with somebody we didn't even know driving the box.

Back when we really believed in the Golden Hour and fluid resus......

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Permalink Reply by Devin Nemec on July 2, 2012 at 1:26pm

T -15 Arrive 15 minutes early for a scheduled transfer.  

T -13 Get a bowl of chili in the EMS room

T -3 get a second bowl (first food in 10 hours)

T +2 Head up to pt's room

T +15 Walk to other side of hospital floor looking for pt's room

T +20 Answer a call from dispatch explaining that we're still looking for the room

T +30 Check a third wing in the hospital for the room

T +35 Call dispatch and have them confirm the room number

T +40 Finally find a staff member to look up the pt's room

T +45 Realize we've been at the wrong hospital for an hour.

Moral: Read the hospital's entire name in the dispatch info.

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