 
|
|
|
|
Hi Gary...
I'm staying out of the fracas... let me know when it's time to duck the
slung mud! (Or is it truly over?) Meanwhile, you asked for input
about a patient scenario, and I have 2 cents I'm not using right now, so here
goes.
In response to your Haiti patient... yikes, what a mess he was!
Regarding the MD in charge of the flight, perhaps he didn't understand your
terminology when you reported the "PIPs". You were referring to peak
inspiratory pressures, right? Or I might just be revealing my ignorance
about abbreviations commonly used in a field other than my own.
Anyway, perhaps you may have gotten further with the doc if you'd pointed
out the patient's symptoms, like the shifted trachea, and tactfully suggested a
careful reassessment of the patient's airway/breathing. I'm no doc, but
I've known a lot of edgy and threatened ones in my career. Sometimes we
need to carefully lead them where they need to go. (Just as my partners
have carefully led me many times, I'm sure!) Unfortunately, your patient
had to wait till the thoracic surgeon got there to have the situation
remedied. And meanwhile, your doc may have felt a bit foolish for missing
this critical problem. (Which leads to you getting reprimanded just
because he thought he looked bad in front of another doc.)
It's hard to be tactful when your patient's crumping, but as they say, you
catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Especially in our
field.
On our flight team, we have no RT, just two RNs. If this had been our
patient and he'd crashed, we'd ALL be on the chopping block. It's a team
effort. And just as my partner is not "the team," likewise no RN or EMT
(with or without P) or RT or MD is "the team." When the patient crumps, it
is THE PATIENT who is on the chopping block, and we need to remember that, and
function together for the patient's best welfare.
I guess maybe that was 3 cents' worth. I owe ya.
Best regards and fly safely,
Cece Peterson, RN, BSN, yada yada
LifeFlight, Pittsburgh, PA
----- Original Message -----
|