What was the WORST thing a patient has been brought to ER for?

Specialties Emergency

Published

Let's have some stories about those traumas that you talk about for days in you ER's!

Specializes in Tele, ICU, ER.

My very first code 1 in the ER - a 4mo SIDS. Had never worked a baby code before. Will never forget it. Will NEVER forget having to take that sweet little baby from her mother's arms (after about 1.5hours of goodbyes) so the detectives (unattended death) etc could do their work.

Couple months later: 12 yo kid drowned in family swimming pool during a large family party.

Thanks to God these are few and far between!

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Specializes in ER, NICU, NSY and some other stuff.

Family of 5 hit head on by a severely inebriated individual who thought the off ramp was the on ramp. Dad sever CHI, broken pelvis, and legs among his other injuries. Mom both legs broke, and arm along with a pnuemo, twin 10 year olds girl with spenic injury, brother was ok, 3 year old with a C-5 fx.

THis is just the tip of the iceberg.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Cardiothoracics, VADs.

Reading this thread made me feel like someone who slows down to look at a car crash. Ick.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Ya know though I will always remember the horrid things that happened, I do remember the good things too - the time that we had a repeat drunk guy who had to go to CT since he had an altered mental status. I was his nurse but a tech took him upstairs to CT and when he came back, he had a sticker on his forehead that said, "be nice to me, I've been in the ER!" Too funny! (Maybe only an ER nurse would appreciate the humor - lol).

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Specializes in Peds Oncology, Public Health, Peds Emerg.

Okay, these are just getting worse and worse!! Maybe we should change this thread to the WIERDEST things a patient has been brought to the ER for? Slightly less depressing!

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Wow. (((((ER folks)))). I think I'd have to kill or maim some of these parents of those kids.........that would be my undoing, I fear.

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Specializes in ED-CEN/PACU/Flight.

I had a 14-year old male that was spending the summer with dad (a semi driver). The teen male and his friend were sleeping in the back bed of the semi. Dad had been doing drugs, and decided to drive.

Semi goes off-road, teen thrown out of back, through window (while cab bursts into flames), and rolled over. (Friend and dad alright). Doing CPR on nothing but mush. Blood all over the walls, floor, and ceiling.

Then called Oklahoma to tell mom there had been an accident.

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Two month old rape victim.

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Three children found out in cold, dirty (so filthy clothes were rigid), and dressed inappropriately for weather - covered in bruises head to toe, unknown when they last ate.

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Semi VS pedestrian. Known psych history. Pt jumped in front of semi that was going 55-60 mph.

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Drunk driver that ran his vehicle up under the rear end of a semi, knocking the semi wheels of, causing pt's truck to be dragged. Passenger smashed into dashboard and not immediately identifiable as male or female. Pt telling us he's just fine to leave him the "F" alone.

~~~~~

And that's just to start...

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4Y/O little girl with a boggy skull, bruises from head to toe, and soaking wet. Dad said he was trying to cool her off because she was running a fever and she started to have a seizure. I didn't believe that from the start but the thing that irritated my the most is that he was able to go back and forth from the trauma room to the family room ALL day while they investigated. He wasn't charged till the next day for the murder of his own daughter. He got to go home with his pregnant wife and two year old child.

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I cried reading these posts but wanted to say "Thank You" to all the wonderful, caring men and women who take care of us in the ER. I could never do it and I thank God for putting you all on Earth. You are true heroes.

Shaun

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

Pedestrian vs. train, multiple amputations.

Pediatric sexual assault victim.

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Specializes in ICU, ER.

Not my experience, but at a hospital where I worked: ER RN on way to work, hit broadside at intersection right at hospital entrance (level 1 trauma center) by red-light-runner. Brought in to own ER by own medics, coded by collegues/friends, and died. Bad enough that this happened, but what made it worse for the staff was seeing her in her scrubs, steth. around her neck, with her ID proudly proclaiming "RN". They almost had to close the ER that day.

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Specializes in emergency.

3 yr female shot in the head by mom's friend. mom also shot and doa at scene. i took care of child for 3 hrs in the er waiting for dad to arrive. she went into pea while dad was being brought back. we didn't code her due to her injury (failed apnea test on arrival but she was cold and by this time her core temp was 97). it took me a while to be able to take another peds trauma and i have since left trauma er

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