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Thursday, November 14. 2013

First deaths


His first death, third year of medical school


I recall my first deaths in medical school, in the ER. Two ambulances, family of four after a parking lot accident. The cool efficiency of the ER senior resident doing five-second triage: the 7 year -old - "Dead."  The ten year-old - "Dead."  The Mom - "Dead." The dad, blue but not grey like the others - "Breathing. Get him in a room and let's work on him. Tube here now, chest tube, EKG, crash cart, IV. Get a surgeon down here. Let's go, team."


In just a couple of minutes the unconscious Dad was intubated, had an emergency chest tube, IV, monitor, etc., survived.

Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss in Medical at 16:04 | Comments (6) | Trackbacks (0)

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I have always said I love our doctors, nurses, EMTs, firemen and police. I am happy that they are there when they are needed and think they deserve more recognition.
#1 GoneWithTheWind on 2013-11-14 16:23 (Reply)
So the father survived to learn the rest of his family did not. That's a very steep price.
#2 phil g on 2013-11-14 18:02 (Reply)
I have to assume that the Docs are trained to put aside that emotional response and operate on pure logic in the moment. The challenge is to not be crushed by it later.

I'm a father of 2 and would have no desire to survive under those circumstances - but that's not the doctor's call.
#2.1 NJSoldier on 2013-11-15 07:58 (Reply)
I have to wonder what could happen in a parking lot, other than someone driving at a crazy speed, that could do that.
#3 Sam L. on 2013-11-14 19:20 (Reply)
If my kid is dead, let me die too.

It would not be a good place with me alive and her gone. Not for me, not for a whole list of people.
#4 William O. B'Livion on 2013-11-15 20:01 (Reply)
Get over yourselves.

An entire swath of my family and community is made up of second families of Holocaust survivors.

I particularly remember a neighbor who painted her living-dining room bright robin's egg blue - only blue skies in this house.

Her (second set of) sons are the salt of the earth, great guys.
#5 Ben David on 2013-11-16 13:36 (Reply)

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