Nurses Helping Nurses
allnurses Network: Central | Jobs | Books | Newsletter
allnurses: A Nursing Community for Nurses
Home General News Blogs Articles Students Region Specialty Degrees F.A.Q.
Flight Nursing and Surface Transport Nursing /

Interesting Flight stories



Did You Know?
allnurses is the largest community for nurses on the web. We now have over 388,656 members! Join today to network with other nurses, laugh, share, and much more.
Page 3 of 3 < 12 3

No. 20
from Trauma1RN
Old Feb 18, 2008, 04:43 PM

Default Re: Interesting Flight stories
Originally Posted by RNREMT-P View Post
just saw this thread. man, hard to pick a story. we've had security guards waving us into parking lots with a chain being whipped around by the rotor wash, we couldn't believe the guard wasn't clobbered by the thing. Fire depts. have "guided" us onto the interstate and I saw a tension cable at the very last second (so close I thought for sure we were going to ditch from 50').
probably the most life-changing flight I ever had was responding to an 8 y.o. girl who had been in a rollover on an ATV. She had an open skull fx, significant oropharyngeal bleed, seizing, vomitting, no IV, HR 50s, barely palpable peripheral pulses when we landed. I started an EJ and gave her the versed & sux...then could not suction her out fast enough to ever see the cords. 2 failed attempts and I looked at the Lifepak, her HR 38 and SpO2 63%, her little hands were so blue and cold. I thought "Oh my God, we're going to end up doing CPR in just a minute."
I said a small prayer (not being self-righteous, but that's just what I did), stuck my hand in her mouth, felt the base of the tongue/epiglottis and just lifted up on it and passed the ET tube that way. Started bagging and her HR/SpO2 immediately increased. To make a long story short she continued to improve on the flight in. Several months later I was walking out to the helicopter to get something and an older lady came toward me pushing a little girl in a wheelchair. I thought she was just wanting to see the aircraft so I went over to open the gate and the lady said "I remember you were the one who came for my grand-daughter." then I realized who they were. she now had a disconjugate gaze but could speak clearly, all I could remember was that little girl, covered in blood, laying there on the ground.
I was completely choked up when the little girl wanted to show me how she was re-learning to walk. She took 2-3 steps and then fell into my arms, I"m not ashamed to say I completely lost it and sat there on the skids and cried with her Grandmother. I feel like a miracle happened and I just happened to be there to witness it, because I surely don't feel like I actually saved her life as much as God did.
Don't know if anyone's still reading this thread but that's by far the most amazing experience I've had aside from the birth of my own kids.
stay safe out there.
That is awesome.
Top

1 Reader Gave Kudos
 
Advertisement
Sponsored Links
 
No. 21
from kvsherry
Old Apr 16, 2008, 06:28 PM

Default Re: Interesting Flight stories
Have to confess a time when the helicopter should probably not have been called.

During my volunteer BLS days about 45 minutes drive from the trauma center, I get called to a head on MVA on a busy 4 lane highway. Patient one is in his car awake and talking, no evidence of major trauma, really lucky. Says this other car just swerved right at him.

Both cars had pretty bad damage, patient two not so great shape, she is unresponsive with no outward signs of trauma. Medics are already on the way, bird gets a green light. Patient one goes to the community hospital while patient two goes to the LZ with ALS on board. About a five minute wait once we get to the LZ and she is still unresponsive, definitely not faking, no odor of ETOH or anything, medics say, "while we're waiting, what's her sugar?" BOOM- sugar is 45! OOPS, push half an amp of D50 and she wakes up wondering why everyone is staring at her just as the chopper hits the ground. Boy were there some embarrassed faces and ****** off flight crew.

Moral of the story: which came first the chicken or the egg; low BS causes unresponsiveness; causes MVA, need for ALS-you bet, need for helicopter transport? maybe not so much.
Top
 
No. 22
Old Apr 23, 2008, 12:36 PM
Updated Apr 23, 2008 at 09:40 PM by SteveRN21

Default Re: Interesting Flight stories
I do! I do!
Back in the day, before every community, no matter how small, has an Air ambulance service, I was flying MAST out of Ft. Bliss, Tx. Had "routine" pick-up of 3 patients from Ft. Huachuca, all litters, all stable. Halfway to Wm. Beaumont Med. Ctr, the pt. in the middle litter CODES! Holy ****! did CPR and (what passed for ALS at the time ) all the way in. All survived, including the Crew Chief on his first flight as Chief.
Top
 
No. 23
from GilaRN
Old May 02, 2008, 06:46 PM

Default Re: Interesting Flight stories
Sierra Vista hospital to William Beaumont in a rotor? Pretty long flight eh?
Top
 
No. 24
Old May 10, 2008, 01:30 AM

Default Re: Interesting Flight stories
I had an interesting call the other day. We were called to the local prison for an assault victim, an inmate. As I get into the ambulance where the pt was I see the pt is just lying there with his eyes closed. The medic tells me he was stabbed in the arm and hit and kicked in the head. Apparently he was very combative when they first arrived. Now he is just lying there and only opened his eyes to PAINFUL stimulus (sternal rub, trapezius muscle squeeze). GCS 7. He had a huge swelling and lacerations to his forehead. The medic tells me he is posturing as I do my assessment. Hard to tell as he was all immobilized and shackled. I tell my partner we will intubate in the aircraft and as soon as we take off the shackles and secure him down with our restraints and get the guard settled we take off. We intubated with no problem and his assessment really didn't change much, including his BP despite the fact we had to give him quite a lot of sedation as he would start fighting the vent.
So the final diagnosis..... blood alcohol level >300!!! No head bleed or injury (Besides some lacs needing sutures) and he was shipped back to jail the next day. Moral of the story is even if it looks totally like a horse it could still be a zebra.
Top
 
No. 25
Old Jun 17, 2008, 04:41 PM

Default Re: Interesting Flight stories
Originally Posted by GilaRN View Post
Sierra Vista hospital to William Beaumont in a rotor? Pretty long flight eh?

Yep, and was I exhausted by the time we got there. I think it was about the limit of our flying time.
They had to pour me out of the bird when we got back to the airfield.
Top
 
Page 3 of 3 < 12 3
Reply




Thread Tools


Who's Online
365 members
2,796 guests
3,161

33

lawsuit - But don't most RN's work through breaks/lunch...

0

Patient Evaluation of Retail Clinic Care

3

The hard to reach on-call doctor, and its effects on...

8

Woman charged with passing off prescription drug as...

20

Man in "Vegetative State" was conscious for 23...

2

Interesting article on ThedaCare's Collaborative Care Model

13

Possible breakthrough regarding MS

63

16th Philly area hospital to stop delivering babies: Mercy...

14

Really interesting article on Indian open hearts

12

High-Tech Pump Does What Her Heart Can't



41

Dear preceptor

1

Society Needs Care Too

13

Why am I doing this, anyway?

2

Nurse Heal Thyself

9

My Papa, why I am the nurse I am today.

17

I made it through

11

An angel's gaze

16

A Sister Never Forgets

16

Ruby's Marbles

39

What Do Operating Room Nurses Do?

14

My Little Old Jedi

20

I love this job......

23

"I hear voices"

20

Preventing FRUTI (Foley Related Urinary Tract Infection) in...

24

Error and Attitude





Currently Reading This Page: 1 (0 members & 1 guests)

Interested in the hottest topics of the week? Subscribe to the Nurse-zine Newsletter.
Enter email address: