Emergency cricothyrotomy... legal/ethical question

[jay47]

...and this is where you lost credibility. Game over. It matters when they die from your doing. The victim still had a chance to live if you'd stick to the proper ways of handling this. Exceed your capability and you may make matters worse. They may die because of you!

Stick to drill and fill. That's your area of expertise. Not surgery.

You're right, I will stick to drill and fill. And I see where our dilemma is; your understanding of doing this is if they may die from what I do. My understanding of doing this is if I know they will surely die if I do nothing. In the latter case, I can live with my actions and the legal ramifications of those actions if I have to.

Peace out.

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[dentstd]

In a few years, someone's going to post a thread on SDN titled, "Dentists' reputation takes another hit." There'll be a CNN story about how two Texas and Indiana dentists think they're trauma surgeons. And the rest of us just think,... dammit!@!?!?!

 

[dmd87]

OMFG, you're a total idiot.

+1. These guys are a bunch of *****s. Why make a silly mistake like this where the legal ramifications will be huge for you and your family. You have worked your entire life to become a dentist and provide a good future for you and your family. Its unfortunate if the person dies, but its more unfortunate if you try to save them by thinking you're a surgeon and killing them or injuring them for the rest of their lives and in the process pissing away your future.

 

[cdmOMR]

Alright alright guys chill... we might not be almighty surgeons but I think were well educated enough to have a discussion and not a cat fight.

Also to the poster who said administer the Heimlich again, I agree that should be tried first, but the basic point of my scenario was the person needs a cric/tracheotomy and fast.

Also another question... not that I endorse cramming more information into the 4 years of dental school... but what about the idea of including training of advanced life support in dental school? I can think of about 10 useless classes that could be cut out and replaced with advanced life support training.

 

[aphistis]

Zip your mouth right now and we'll forget you even spoke.

Irony, anyone?

 

[aphistis]

Please, continue with your snide, condescending lecture. Your superior knowledge is the only thing standing between untold thousands of my hapless patients, and their grisly demise at my incompetent hands. Rescue them from my inferior skills and inadequate knowledge! Please, for the love of deoxyhemoglobin, save me from myself!

Oh, and by the by: it's "Heimlich," not "Heimlick."

If anyone wants to ask any specific questions and get them answered by someone who has some idea what he's talking about, send me a PM and I'll be happy to respond. If you want them answered by an ignorant fool who has no appreciation for the limits of his meager knowledge, keep posting here. (The only catch is, every time he mentions "aggravated assault," "felony," "general surgery," "trauma surgery," "murder," or anything similarly ridiculous, you have to take a drink. I recommend getting your pony keg on ice before submitting your post. Hey, I don't make the rules, I just play by them.)

G'night, all.