Triage Nightmare!

Excellent job, what a save! It sure pays to listen to your instincts when you know something is not right.

Beautiful Tony - just the way that it should be! A wonderful call and you saved a life. It may have been a nightmare shift for you, however it was a lifesaving shift for him. Well done! Kinda makes up for all of the other stuff that you have to deal with....

Beautiful Tony - just the way that it should be! A wonderful call and you saved a life. It may have been a nightmare shift for you, however it was a lifesaving shift for him. Well done! Kinda makes up for all of the other stuff that you have to deal with....

Canoe, North...

Thanks!

Tony

Chances are that man does not comprehend that you saved his life. He will tell everyone that the doctor's saved his life. However, we here know how lucky he was that a very observant, highly skilled nurse was on the job. God bless you.

On a busy Sunday afternoon, 17 people in the waiting room. The main ED is swamped, every inch of hall space is used up. 3 people on stretchers outside triage with IVs running and being medicated for abdominal pain.

ER doc coming out periodically to examine patients at my behest, and against his will as he thinks we should be on "divert"...and has spent the last 2 hours trying to sell that to the administrator on call...

Get the picture?

So, just when things could not get anymore out of hand, a 43 y/o guy comes to the desk and says he hit his head 3 days ago and is still "a little dizzy"...(big deal)..."take a seat...be with you in a minute." I watched him walk to his seat...his gait was ataxic...he "plopped" down in the chair. Something made me walk over to him and do a cursory neuro exam.

I checked his hand grasps...right stronger than left...i took him to the triage room...looked at his eyes...right eye...ok.....left eye...not ok...divergent with minimally reactive pupil.

I put him on a stretcher, pushed him to the ED and put him in front of the ED doc. Asked the clerk to call CT and tell them to expect me in 10 minutes...

The CT showed a SDH...The guy was in the OR 25 minutes after he walked through the door...He's in the ICU...his eyes no longer move independently. He will go to rehab at the end of the week...hid daughter graduates from high school this June...he'll be there to see it.

After I pushed the guy up to the OR...I went back to triage...on the way...I said a little prayer of thanks...

Ok...who's next!

Good for you! I hope someone lets this guy know that you really saved his life. I'm sure he'd love to thank you, and I bet that praise would feel good. :balloons: :balloons:

great call! Your hospital is lucky to have you! Give yourself a pat on the back, and be proud that you made a difference to that mans life. I know several triage nurses who would not be able to identify that he was unstable.

You are the kind of nurse I yearn to become. Thank you.

ADN in Dec. '05

career change

Nice catch, Tony! That is nursing at it's best!

Beautiful Tony - just the way that it should be! A wonderful call and you saved a life. It may have been a nightmare shift for you, however it was a lifesaving shift for him. Well done! Kinda makes up for all of the other stuff that you have to deal with....

Wow... how touching. Really made me feel good all over reading this. I needed this today. :)

Great save. Thank you for not being "too busy" to take notice, or "too busy" to act on what your gut (and heart) was telling you.

I'm so proud to read this. So proud of you, and grateful for this man's second chance.

MAJOR KUDO PRIZE goes to you !