What was the MOST ridiculous thing a patient came to the ER for?

Specialties Emergency Nursing Q/A

And did you have to treat them?

I am just curious. Your stories always seem to either crack me up or shake my head in amazement.

Thanks for sharing ?

We had a guy come in the other night because he ran his foot over with a shopping cart....He did it at 1400hrs, and came into the ER at 0200 that night/next morning....Sad thing is, he was a bigger guy, the kind that you would avoid in a dark alley....Couldn't quite believe it, but it happens I guess

Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

3 week old, cried for 3 hours (did you burp her?). Stopped crying and fell asleep when got in the car and drove to the hospital. Checked in anyway.

Those poor first time moms! What ever happened to the grandmas, aunts, sisters and friends who taught all of us how to raise our kids? Didn't you ever babysit, have siblings, volunteer in the church nursery? Or even read some books before you delivered?

Specializes in Oncology/BMT.

Every time I see my paycheck and all the money that goes towards taxes, I can't help but think of all the dingbats using up our tax dollars for ER visits. Get a PCP. The most ridiculous... a high class Barbie type broke off her artificial nail taking half of the real nail with it, no blood, came into the ER by ambulance...

Lost vibrator.

IN lady parts.

:eek:

Uhhhhh, there's only one route.........

Specializes in ER, ARNP, MSN, FNP-BC.

couple years ago, little old lady in her 80's with vag discharge. doc wore a mask it smelled so bad. it was like 20 colostomy bags were all opened at once. turned out the poor woman had a piece of gauze lodged up around her cervix............ since her "surgery 4 months ago.".... unbeknownst to her of course. (retch!)

Specializes in ER, ARNP, MSN, FNP-BC.

yes, then there was the 911 ambulance call in the aftermath of hurrican Jeanne .......... for an ingrown toenail. I answered the radio call with "triage on arrival." She waited................ and waited..... then the doc came in, listened to her complaint, walked out , and I went in with d/c papers......... sweet :)

he actually came behind the ER door with the patient,and after some moments of waiting, he went into the washroom and he had his birdie got stuck into his jeans fly. and we have to cut his jeans bit by bit until what's remained was just the birdie and the fly. it stuck so hard that we had to remove a some sort of clamp at the base of the fly to seperate them. making loose of his birdie.

Specializes in M/S,TELE,ORTHO,ER.
Every time I see my paycheck and all the money that goes towards taxes, I can't help but think of all the dingbats using up our tax dollars for ER visits. Get a PCP. The most ridiculous... a high class Barbie type broke off her artificial nail taking half of the real nail with it, no blood, came into the ER by ambulance...

I'm sure that really did hurt, but...

When will we finally institute a fraudulent or inappropriate use of EMS statute? Maybe the fine should be proportional to how egregious the offense is. Insurance issues aside, we have laws for filing a false police report and we've all heard(or dreamed) of the idea of penalizing frivolous law suit filers. In your pts case I think the penalty should have been ten times the cost of her nails donated to a local homeless shelter or food bank. Oh, and of course, she could substitute community service hours.

Maybe there should be a police blotter-type column in the local paper; no names at all, just the basic facts.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

I'm sure that really did hurt, but...

When will we finally institute a fraudulent or inappropriate use of EMS statute? Maybe the fine should be proportional to how egregious the offense is. Insurance issues aside, we have laws for filing a false police report and we've all heard(or dreamed) of the idea of penalizing frivolous law suit filers. In your pts case I think the penalty should have been ten times the cost of her nails donated to a local homeless shelter or food bank. Oh, and of course, she could substitute community service hours.

Maybe there should be a police blotter-type column in the local paper; no names at all, just the basic facts.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

In our local paper, there were 2 incidents where someone was counseled about did they really need the ambulance for this? They came in by private vehicle instead.

Specializes in M/S,TELE,ORTHO,ER.

2 incidents, same person? Would love to hear...

For every person who clogs up EMS pointlessly your grandmother or mine my suffer, u know?

2 incidents, same person? Would love to hear...

For every person who clogs up EMS pointlessly your grandmother or mine my suffer, u know?

2 different people with minor complaints. And I totally agree about people clogging up the EMS services pointlessly. It takes the ambulance too long to get to a real emergency.

Some of these stories are definitely hysterical (hang nails, gum in hair, things that don't belong in orifices, etc.) but I have to say one time I was treated like I had come to the ER for a ridiculous reason. I fell on an uneven spot on the sidewalk and put my hand out to catch myself (anyone's normal reaction.) I thought I was okay and was going to go on to work but then I tried to make a fist with my hand and I literally COULD NOT do it. Some of my fingers also wouldn't spread apart. So, the people at the store I had fallen in front of called an ambulance. When I got to the ER, my blood pressure was 140/97 and mine usually runs 90/60. I was in extreme pain and the triage nurse gave me a hard time about using an ambulance when someone who was having a heart attack could have used it. It turned out to be just a contusion on the back of my hand but it was in the place where a bunch of nerves gather. My hand ended up swelling up to twice its normal size and it hurt to even pick up a glass of water with that hand for about a month and a half. I'm just a nursing student but I will do my best to never make a patient feel like that nurse made me feel.

+ Add a Comment