Dumping Syndrome

[Jerry 75]

I have worked as an EMT/Medic and ER RN. I have worked as RN on both east coast NYC as well as San Diego. A problem known as "Dumping Syndrome" exists on both coasts. The syndrome would be characterized by an ED getting a really dirty drunken skell patient who never wanted to go to the hospital in the first place. The Medic may have had a bad experience in that ER earlier in the shift and wanted to pay back the staff with a gift and just picked up the filthiest derilict he could find on the Bowery and told him he would take him to the hospital for a free meal.

I am sure we have all experienced this more then once?????

[traveler2009]

I have never experienced this in the ER in south FL. Rescue workers were awesome to work with when I was down there:bow:. Sounds very unprofessional and should be reported as an abuse to the system.

[Propranolol]

yikes.

[Jerry 75]

It happens every now and then mostly in very busy inner city hospitals. The Medics know ech other some friends of semi friends. These things happen, no time or desire to write each other up all the time. No real big deal in the inner city. I can't believe you never noticed this??

[PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN]

What a waste of resources. Tsk, tsk.

[Anisettes, BSN, RN]

It's been a good 9-10 years since I was in the ED, but when I worked in NY we used to get those kinds of patients dumped all the time (usually on the weekend), we'd assess them, give them a banana bag which often perked them up enough to cause problems because all of a sudden they were sober enough to say they didn't want to be there (and had NEVER wanted to be there) but were still too drunk to be d/c'd so then we'd end up in a 'situation' and nobody was happy. Security often had to be called, often they ended up restrained, it was a mess. But because we'd taken custody of them, we now had the obligation not to turn them out until they were sober enough not to walk out the entrance and get run over by a car, bus, or train.

And I'm honestly sympathetic to alcoholics and their desire to NOT be disturbed just because an EMS crew happens to come upon them passed out somewhere and decides to take it upon themselves to 'rescue' him. That's not to say if the weather is freezing you'd leave him, but otherwise why isn't it your G'd given right to be drunk in the gutter if you so choose? I know about the mental health issues, etc... that often accompany etoh abuse, but they are still adults and have the right of choice, just like the rest of us.

I have a family member who has been homeless BY CHOICE for so many years I've lost count, no matter how much we love him, offer him our homes, nothing - he say's he 'likes his independance' and we have no right to interfere. I didn't understand it years ago, but I've come to see his point over time - it's HIS life. Just because he isn't living the life I would, doesn't make his choices less valid than mine.

So yes, I've seen it before.

[Jerry 75]

When I was a Medic you would get a call to 225 the Bowery or The Prince Hotel as you walked from your Bus to the SRO you would always find a few people unconsious laying on the sidewalk drunker then drunk people just walking over them and because they are accustomed to seeing people drunk and unconscious. In the winter they would sleep on Steam grates to keep warm. Sometimes trucks backing up not seeing them would crush them, quite often in the winter in the snow they just died.

The SRO's stunk of lysol and CN full of Men wo once were somebody and others who were never much. Full of alcoholics, junkies, psychos and those who just gave up on life! They lived in rooms no bigger then 6' x 4' and ther door to their rooms ws made of a frame and covered with a chicken wire mesh.

I never coerced nor forced any of these guy's to go to the hospital. If they wanted to go fine if not Your a big boy you have choices to make!

[questionsforall]

I hate that, expecially when they become beligerant and require so much ativan to keep them calm, so they admit them to the ICU for detox.....then they require intubation and they never wanted to stop drinking anyway....and will go back to drinking if they ever make it out.

[Jerry 75]

We had a 10 bed holding unit for Drunks. On night shift when it was quite they would take turns ******* over the side of the gurney. The room would be full of Flies.

We took such good care of these street people and they attacked us and treated us like ****. In the morning though they were apologetic.

We had a Nurses Aid who would always volunteer to get the maggots off of their legs. He used ether to do it and he ws also a junkie and got off on the high from the ether.

[EmergencyNrse]

I am sure we have all experienced this more then once?????

.....nope

[Larry77, RN]

What came to my mind when I saw the title was the Friday night dump we get from all the local clinics and "gastric" dumping syndrome...I've never suspected our EMS doing what you have described, even though I have ****** off a few incompetent crews by calling them out :-)

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

I know, I thought of gastric dumping syndrome, too -- I had a patient with that just the other night! Ha ha.