What is the most outrageous call or event you been on?

veetach · Sep 8, 2004

I have had 2 outrageous experiences, neither of them good.

#1 a 450+lb man who has been in bed for over a month, literally. Has not even been out of the bed to use the bathroom, came in to our ER "unresponsive". When the ambulance arrived, the back door flew open and the paramedic ran out and threw up because of the smell. The guy was talking and about 5 minutes later, he went into cardiac arrest. We had to wash him before we could attach the combo pads for defibrillation... he didnt make it... it was ugly

#2 My paramedic/RN friend and I were driving down a perfectly straight stretch of road one afternoon when we saw a car pulled over onto the grass. It was one of our float pool RN's, and she had just struck a 14 yr old on a bicycle with her car. Threw him several feet and he was a tangled mess of arms and legs, obvious bil femur fractures, skull fracture and flail chest.He did have a pulse and was maintaining an airway, but not a decent airway. We called for the ambulance and then started our primary survey... again not pretty. It felt so frustrating knowing what we could have been doing and not having any equipment to do it with. He was flown to the trauma center and died within the hour.

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Sep 26, 2004

I work ER, and recieved a radio call about an incoming pt with chest pain from a nursing home. I asked what there ETA was and they said 45 to 60 minutes, Im going hmmmm whats taking so long.

Turned out it was 700 pound pt that couldnt get into the ambulance and as the nursing home was about 2 miles away they decided to push the pt in his bed down to us. Fortunately it was 2 in the morning and no traffic so to speak. Might have been longer if there was traffic.

The patient turned out to be fine

But we had to treat a few medics and firemen for muscle strains and such. Even had to give one of them some oxygen, never decided if it was from exertion or laughter.

talaxandra · Sep 26, 2004

They decided to push the patient to the ER? Now that's lateral thinking!

RNin92 · Sep 26, 2004

I work ER, and recieved a radio call about an incoming pt with chest pain from a nursing home. I asked what there ETA was and they said 45 to 60 minutes, Im going hmmmm whats taking so long.
Turned out it was 700 pound pt that couldnt get into the ambulance and as the nursing home was about 2 miles away they decided to push the pt in his bed down to us. Fortunately it was 2 in the morning and no traffic so to speak. Might have been longer if there was traffic.
The patient turned out to be fine
But we had to treat a few medics and firemen for muscle strains and such. Even had to give one of them some oxygen, never decided if it was from exertion or laughter.

One of our nurses works at another ER in our area and had similar experience...except the NH was across the street...

VERY busy street...

At lunchtime...

EMS called the local PD to block traffic...

They pushed the bed over...until the wheel broke...

Did I mention in the middle of the street...the VERY busy street!!

Would have loved to have beent there!

Oh... and our nurse who gave the ok for the "street transfer"...was written up by his boss...for putting the patient at risk... (>400# asthmatic who was wheezing)

Gotta love administrators.

Trauma Columnist · Sep 26, 2004

We had a 700# 29 y/o full arrest a few years ago. We had no bed to hold him (in the ER) so we coded him on the floor. After he was pronounced we went to get his family - an elderly moderately obese lady and a younger, obese lady. I left them alone with him and left the room. I was talking with the paramedics and they asked me how his daughter was holding up? I went, "hunhh??" and they told me that the younger "lady" was actually a 250# 8 y/o!!!! I felt so bad for her and know that her life must be horrid.