Not Quite Subreality Yet (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} subdereality) wrote,@ 2008-09-15 16:22:00 |
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Funny incident of the week.
Beware: the incidents detailed below may only be understood by doctors/nurses.
Last Thursday was the most stressful day in my working life as a doctor.
My entire team was away/on-call/in another hospital/in operation theatres. I was left all alone when I received a fast bleep.
Nurse: Mrs U has a pulse of 150 and a systolic blood pressure of 60. She is pyrexic too.
Me: How long has this been going on?
Nurse: Since this morning.
Me: Didn't the other house officer notice this?
Nurse: He said *patient's ok, just continue.*
Me: O...kay. I'll be up shortly.
Ten minutes later... After assessing the patient, doing all the basic stuff, and waiting for the ECG to be done. Patient was obese and immobile with a long list of cardiac complications, diabetes and a laparostoma. PLUS, she doesn't speak/understand English. Recruited a Gujerati-speaking janitor to help with the translation.
Me: Ask her if she has chest pain.
Janitor: I'm in charge of feeding her, you know.
Me: JUST ASK IF SHE HAS CHEST PAIN. NOW.
Me: *starts to panic* ****** ****.
ECG showed supra-ventricular tachycardia, most likely fast atrial fibrillation. Heart rate was 200/minute. Patient looked like she was about to expire anytime. Shouted for the nurses to push the arrest trolley down from the end of the ward and tried to ring my reg on his mobile, but he was scrubbed up in theatres with the patient opened up already. I grabbed the ECG and ran down the Emergency Medical Unit to get help. Fast bleeped the medical registrar. Medical registrar turned up in record time.
Med reg: Where are your seniors?
Me: They are not here.
Med reg: Are you all alone?
Me: Yes.
Med reg: This is unacceptable.
Recruited the janitor again to translate. Med reg thought that patient has had a massive heart attack. Reckoned that patient only had hours to live. Started discussing 'Do Not Resuscitate' orders and who to ring the family with me. Suddenly, the janitor who was listening to the discussion butted in.
Janitor: I have an important question to ask.
Med reg: Go on then.
Janitor: Should I still give her lunch?
Med reg and me: ....
Med reg: If you're hours away from dying, lunch would be the last thing on your mind.
Janitor: But lunch is very important! I'm in charge of handing out lunches!
At the point, the med reg and I just walked away. The story didn't end there, but there's already a lesson to be learnt.
Moral of the story: Horror stories of janitors feeding dead patients tea ain't very far-fetched.
Beware: the incidents detailed below may only be understood by doctors/nurses.
Last Thursday was the most stressful day in my working life as a doctor.
My entire team was away/on-call/in another hospital/in operation theatres. I was left all alone when I received a fast bleep.
Nurse: Mrs U has a pulse of 150 and a systolic blood pressure of 60. She is pyrexic too.
Me: How long has this been going on?
Nurse: Since this morning.
Me: Didn't the other house officer notice this?
Nurse: He said *patient's ok, just continue.*
Me: O...kay. I'll be up shortly.
Ten minutes later... After assessing the patient, doing all the basic stuff, and waiting for the ECG to be done. Patient was obese and immobile with a long list of cardiac complications, diabetes and a laparostoma. PLUS, she doesn't speak/understand English. Recruited a Gujerati-speaking janitor to help with the translation.
Me: Ask her if she has chest pain.
Janitor: I'm in charge of feeding her, you know.
Me: JUST ASK IF SHE HAS CHEST PAIN. NOW.
Me: *starts to panic* ****** ****.
ECG showed supra-ventricular tachycardia, most likely fast atrial fibrillation. Heart rate was 200/minute. Patient looked like she was about to expire anytime. Shouted for the nurses to push the arrest trolley down from the end of the ward and tried to ring my reg on his mobile, but he was scrubbed up in theatres with the patient opened up already. I grabbed the ECG and ran down the Emergency Medical Unit to get help. Fast bleeped the medical registrar. Medical registrar turned up in record time.
Med reg: Where are your seniors?
Me: They are not here.
Med reg: Are you all alone?
Me: Yes.
Med reg: This is unacceptable.
Recruited the janitor again to translate. Med reg thought that patient has had a massive heart attack. Reckoned that patient only had hours to live. Started discussing 'Do Not Resuscitate' orders and who to ring the family with me. Suddenly, the janitor who was listening to the discussion butted in.
Janitor: I have an important question to ask.
Med reg: Go on then.
Janitor: Should I still give her lunch?
Med reg and me: ....
Med reg: If you're hours away from dying, lunch would be the last thing on your mind.
Janitor: But lunch is very important! I'm in charge of handing out lunches!
At the point, the med reg and I just walked away. The story didn't end there, but there's already a lesson to be learnt.
Moral of the story: Horror stories of janitors feeding dead patients tea ain't very far-fetched.
