Diane Fox

Yes, we do EKG's in triage. They are done by a tech if available or a trained pt advocate or the triage nurse. They are then shown to the ED doc and he has to inital and place the time he saw it. This is also done with all EKG's completed in the department. It saves the "I was never notified" by the MC.

After 38 years in the ED, I can say everyone of these is true. I have come up with 3 basic rules that makes everything fall into place. 1. It is the nurse's fault. It doesn't matter if it happened yesterday or 10 years ago or is yet to happen. It is the nurse's fault. 2. You cannot cure stupidity. You can cure ignorance but not stupidity. 3. And those people you cannot cure in rule #2------they breed.

In my career of over 30 years, I have had guns pointed at me several times, knives pulled on me, pinned against the wall and be involved in pulling patinets and their families apart while intercepting punches. I have had patients call and tell me they are coming back to take all of us out. I have been stalked by some and needless to say the countless---I am gonna sue you. Have I ever been afraid? Not really, just for my staff who are young and impressionable. If you taser someone on crack---yes, they probably will arrest. Would you rather see that or a young cop, nurse or paramedic killed because of their uncontrollable behavior and habits. There is no right answer. At some point, we have to protect ourselves.

\\\To help someone out is admirable. However: consider your patients. I work in an ED and have to think quickly, correctly---literally on my feet with a sharp mind. Can you do that with that little sleep? I have been that tired and found myself not only double checking but triple checking myself and you cannot do that in a life and death move quickly situation

A thumper was used many, many eons ago. It was a device powered by compressed O2 and it literally had a powered pad placed on the patient's chest to do compressions. It was synchronised with a connector that also acted as a ventilator. You had to adjust the depth and power of the thumper to fit the profile of your patient. It was mainly used in the field so that the paramedics could have free hands to work with the patient. We had special connectors so that when a patient arrived on the thumper we could connect them and not interrupt the cycles. I have been in the ED for 30 years and never saw a patient on a thumper survive.