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

goats'r'us, ASN, RN · Nov 25, 2006

two words. Sophie Delezio.

not a case i've seen, but the story of the toughest, bravest kid i've ever heard of.

Back in December 2003, this little girl (aged 2) was napping at a childcare centre, when a driver had a seizure and his out-of-control car came crashing into the centre, trapping Sophie and 6 other kids. By the time she'd been freed, she'd suffered third-degree burns to 85% of her body. She lost an ear, her fingers, and her feet, and wasn't expected to survive.

one year later, she was up and about on her new prosthetic legs, and everyone marvelled at her recovery, her bravery, and her beautiful smile. Everyone seemed to agree that Sophie was a miracle.

She seemed unstoppable, and in January 2006, aged 5, she was enrolled at Balgowlah Heights Public School.

On May 5, 2006 Sophie again made national headlines when she was badly injured in a road accident. While being pushed by her caregiver in a wheelchair with her service dog Tara by her side, across a pedestrian crossing near her home in Sydney's northern suburbs she was hit by a car, and thrown 18 metres, suffering a broken jaw and shoulder bone, bruising to her head, numerous rib fractures and a tear to her left lung.

Again people wondered how she could ever survive such injuries, but again she pulled through, leaving hospital again on 7 June 06, and returning to school on July 20th.

Throughout all of this, she's been the sunniest girl, taking things in her stride and being nothing short of a true hero.

Sadly, news is now coming out that Sophie has bleeding in her brain following the second accident, which is making her tire easier and is affecting her concentration at school.

tweety__9510 · Nov 25, 2006

Bless you all ER Nurses. I cant see myself working in ER especially if my patients are this kids. I easily get emotional when it comes to children. Maybe i gonna have a heart attack if i work in ER. I salute you guys, keep up the goodwork.

Justhere, BSN, RN · Nov 25, 2006

3 month old brought by ambulance, looked like newborn premee (actually smaller I don't think cabbage patch premee cloths would fit) mother and dad both did drugs and she did drugs during pregnancy. Baby was born with enough of a brainstem to have organs functioning. Cleft palate and lip. The hospital it was at sent baby home to die and parents had signed all the papers for the baby to be a no code so that it could go home. When they called the ambulance and the paramedics showed up they told parents baby had a heart beat. Baby was pulseless and blue upon arrival. Daddy kept yelling at everyone to call the chopper and ship to larger hospital for children (didn't understand you can't ship a dead baby). We worked on that baby for 1 hr and 45 minutes, never got any sign of life.

That was over 11 years ago I don't think I will ever forget that baby.

BSNtobe2009 · Nov 25, 2006

It's amazing how many people don't know that this is a possibility (a baby getting caught between a bed and the wall...sorry, I forgot to quote the OP)2. All of the beds in my parent's house are against a wall like that (it was built in 1918), and with my neices, and my daughter, the first day they could flip over was the last day they were in the bed by themselves, when they visited. After that they slept in a playpen and we "lufted" the bottom just a little only for naps and checked on them often.

Dr. Michael Baden (whom I'm sure everyone is familiar with) said there is a 25% chance when sleeping with a baby that the baby will die as a result of a rollover death. There was one stupid woman who had not only lost her twins after coming home drunk and getting in bed with them, but she had lost two other children to the same stupid mistake.

BSNtobe2009 · Nov 25, 2006

Wow... these stories are just the tip of the iceburg I bet. You ER nurses never cease to amaze me. I know I could never work in an ER setting. Keep it up!! :)

Yeah, threads like this are good for those of us considering Trauma. Boy, does it make you think.

BSNtobe2009 · Nov 25, 2006

++6 month old girl who was RAPED by her step dad.... ended up with a colostomy and cystectomy after incredible surgeries
How do you deal with this and cases like this? Is this a high frequency happening? I feel rage and deep sorrow for this and other cases of abuse and maltreatment but how do you handle this?
I have always wanted to be in the ER but I know I need to prepare for the horrors as well as the accidents and I would appreciate any advice you have for me.

If you notice when you read the paper about these stories, they usually (not always, but usually) have two things in common:

1. Alot of times the man who abuses the kid is "mom's boyfriend" and is not the baby's father.

2. For some reason, social services doesn't remove the kids remaining in the home. Their reason? "The other kids are fine". I guess they want to wait for a repeat performance.

As a single mother, especially since I have a daughter, I started dating again a few months ago, and I am not not not going to have my daughter grow up with a string of "mommy's boyfriends". I refuse to allow a guy to spend the night when my daughter is here, or get involved with her period, and won't until I get engaged.

That may sound nutty, but I look at it this way: I set the example for her, and what I may choose for myself as a consenting adult and what I should expose a minor child to are not the same thing.

I hear stories like these and that just reinforces my decision.

hjwdancer · Nov 25, 2006

I understand that philosophy, BSNtobe 2009. I also do not understand these mothers who choose the boyfriend over their children.

If you'll forgive me for a short diversion:

My Mom used to work as a social worker for child protective services (CPS). One family had two girls and one boy all under 10 with the mom's boyfriend sexually abusing them. The kids were removed from the home but mom was allowed to have the kids back by pressing charges against the creep and having him removed from the home. So mom gets the kids back and decides she really loves the creep and drops the charges. My Mom stopped in for a follow up, sees the bf there and takes the kids into custody. Only CPS tells her to take them back because paperwork, etc. My Mom refused and took them home with her. CPS retrieved them a few days later and my Mom quit social work completely.

(At times, my Mom and I have our differences but she will always be my hero for at least trying to fix a huge injustice.)

Now back on topic,

My cousin worked ER- she had a case with a holiday-traveling family come in because an older kid (6 or 7) sleeping in the back had put their legs over the corificeat of an infant and had smothered him. There was nothing they could do.

Her advice to me was to try to remember that we are there to make the situation better by taking immediately. We can only do our best in each situation.

NurseEllis · Nov 25, 2006

How bout a man cutting of his own member, becuase he was told by his mother it was "evil" .......and well how can you have a evil thing on your body?

BAD!!???!!! NOT QUITE

NOT ONCE BUT TWICE

YES YES after successful re-implantation he cut it off AGAIN, because the "voices in his head" told him to do it.

after he was life flighted for the second time.....funniest line from that whole situation

ER doc "yes they are sure they can re-attach but we are unsure of the functionality" ---> ER MD that cannot stop being a docter

I couldnt stop laughing for well over 5 mins

well I could go on for days but I like to keep feeling good today

:)

BSNtobe2009 · Nov 26, 2006

I have to vent too...
6 week old baby (one of triplets) that mom had bashed into something, baby came in as a CPR in progress. Brought the baby back (emergency surgery, but will have permanent brain damage), but mom kept running out of the room to throw up during the code... hopefully out of guilt. Makes me worry about the other kids!
2 y.o. little girl drowned in grandma's pool... mom drove to the ER knowing her daughter was dead as uncle told her via phone... I will never forget that mother's cry. (My first pateint death)
Luckily have only dealt with one or two rape cases.. One that sticks out
4 y.o. little girl raped by older brother, dad didn't want to press charges and didn't want her examined! I wanted to smack him!
OK, enough venting... at least I got to tell those stories... thank you for that.

Ok, I have to ask about the 4-year old. How can the parents refuse to have a child examined that was the victim of a sexual assault and refuse to press charges? Would the doctor not be required to report it to DSS or the police and do an examination anyway because it was technically a crime?

Around here, they are required to report any and all cases of sexual assult on a minor and the parents can't refuse to have the child examined...once it's brought to the ER, it gets examined, and only the DA makes the decision if charges are filed or not, but at minimum, if that had happened here, DSS would have removed the brother from the home immediately until a full investigation could take place. The father would have been investigated too to make sure he wasn't blaming it on the older brother.

mrsbigwood1 · Nov 26, 2006

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.

I am a SN in St Louis......early in my husband's career as a police officer (12 years ago) he almost lost his job and his freedom....3yr rape victim by her mom's new bf...that poor baby was ruined and would never have kids of her own...my DH got the house keys from the mom at the hospital and went to the house where the BF was drinking and watching tv...my DH left his gunbelt in his cruiser went in the house and beat the living crap out of that scum...his sgt got wind from the er doc what my DH was up to and ran code 1000 (hold all calls to the station/riot/officer need aid) to the scene....the sgt got a look at the scum and then at my DH who was covered from head to toe in scum blood and put my husband in the back of his own cruiser....they told him he would be put on immediate leave and faced firing and possible charges...my DH called me to the station to pick him up..by the time I got there about 30 of the mom's neighbors were there too demanding my DH be given a medal for protecting that baby even if it was after the fact. In the end he kept his job and got a 2wk paid leave and no discipline in his file.

nursejohio, ASN, RN · Nov 26, 2006

Pfft... sgt must've been upset your hubby had the cojones to do what everyone else wished they could. he does deserve a medal for that!

mgalloLPN · Nov 28, 2006

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.
~~~~~
Two month old rape victim.
~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~
Semi VS pedestrian. Known psych history. Pt jumped in front of semi that was going 55-60 mph.
~~~~~
And that's just to start...

I can't believe about the 2 mth old. That's the most horrible thing I have ever heard. I am glad I wasn't there that night. I honestly think I would have gone to jail.