- Joined
- Jul 30, 2002
- Messages
- 813
- Reaction score
- 9
Last week, I just came on shift. All of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I see a wheelchair whiz by me with a middle aged lady slumped over. At the same moment, the frantic triage nurse that was pushing her yelled for help. I went over to them and noticed the lady was out for the count. No pulse, GCS=3, and blue lips.
After getting her on the stretcher, I slammed an ETT tube as they were hooking her up to the monitor. She was in VFib. Shock x 3 = no help. Start CPR and rounds of meds. Well, about 11-12 minutes, several rounds of meds and 11 shocks later (every time I shocked her, she went to NSR for 2-3 sec, then back to VF), she was in NSR. I think the amiodarone/meds finally kicked in.
Well, 5 days later (this AM), I went up to the CCU to see her. She is extubated, walking around the room, and 100% mentally intact. She is only 47yo, no previous medical problems/meds, and has 2 teen aged kids.
Cath was clean coronaries. Turned out she may have myocarditis and now with dilated CM. She will get an AICD, and be walking out of the hospital on her own in a few more days to go home to her family.
Pretty damned cool if I must say so myself. I must say that I am so ANTI-code when it comes to all these gomes that come in, but these young folks and kids sure do deserve a fighting chance. Nice to see something like this every now and then......
I figured I would share this nice story in light of all the doom and gloom politics that are out there. This is what it's all about!
Mark
After getting her on the stretcher, I slammed an ETT tube as they were hooking her up to the monitor. She was in VFib. Shock x 3 = no help. Start CPR and rounds of meds. Well, about 11-12 minutes, several rounds of meds and 11 shocks later (every time I shocked her, she went to NSR for 2-3 sec, then back to VF), she was in NSR. I think the amiodarone/meds finally kicked in.
Well, 5 days later (this AM), I went up to the CCU to see her. She is extubated, walking around the room, and 100% mentally intact. She is only 47yo, no previous medical problems/meds, and has 2 teen aged kids.
Cath was clean coronaries. Turned out she may have myocarditis and now with dilated CM. She will get an AICD, and be walking out of the hospital on her own in a few more days to go home to her family.
Pretty damned cool if I must say so myself. I must say that I am so ANTI-code when it comes to all these gomes that come in, but these young folks and kids sure do deserve a fighting chance. Nice to see something like this every now and then......
I figured I would share this nice story in light of all the doom and gloom politics that are out there. This is what it's all about!
Mark
