concerned about his possible internal bleeding and an urgent portable ultrasound was requested . T he consultant radiologist came to do it himself and couldn’t find anything obvious . The patient’s condition was stable enough for us to be able to take him to x-ray to determine any broken bones , and from x-ray we moved straight to CT scan for a more accurate view of his abdomen. I accompanied the patient to all his x-rays and CT and unhooked the portable observation machine so I could monitor his vital signs throughout the radiological procedures.
Once back in the emergency department , I reported back to the doctor. The patient’s blood pressure remained low and we were waiting for blood to be cross-matched for the patient to be transfused . T he consultant anaesthetist had organised a bed in the intensive care unit for the patient and we were waiting for them to call back when they were ready . The police had followed the patient throughout his treatment as he remained under arrest; they stood by his side but allowed me to provide the medical treatment that he needed.
The police surgeon had arrived to take samples of blood to test for illegal drugs . This is usual procedure for people suspected of being under the influence while driving . Two samples of blood are taken, one remains with the patient and another with the police for testing. T he officer had told me that as the patient was going to ICU he would leave ; h owever , h e remained under arrest and instructed staff to call the station if he had any positive or negative condition changes .
Amazingly the x-rays showed no fractures . T here were pins in his right arm where there had been previous surgery and the re was a clear deformity in his arm . His limbs were fine and I'd dressed his wounds while I was waiting for the bed in ICU . His abdomen was normal and no internal bleeding was found . T his man , who we were so worried about , had no injuries . H is blood results came back normal, he remained conscious and talking . T he blood transfusion was cancelled and the blood stored in the fridge , just in case . T his man , who we had all thought was near death’s door, had had an amazing escape . The drugs he had taken prior to the crash were the root cause of his dropping blood pressure and racing heart rate rather than the car crash. I had asked him had he taken any drugs at all and he denied it, but after what the police had told me and his state of shock , it was hard for me to believe him. I told him we need ed to know for medical purposes and it d id n’t matter about the police, but he still denied it.
The ICU bed became available so I gathered my equipment and , with a porter , moved him to ICU and handed him over to the ICU nurse. His condition remained serious and needed regular monitoring ; if he had take n speed or cocaine , he was at risk of having a heart attack, but I guess I will never know if it was sherbet powder or something stronger .
Work injuries
It is a common sight in the emergency department to see people with objects stuck in their fingers, such as sewing needles or nails from a nail gun . Usually builders attend emergency holding their impaled hand out in the air as if they may die from having this nail through the centre of their finger. It’s always an unexpected sight as they really should be using a safety guard to prevent this from happening . N ails from a nail gun are very hard to remove from soft tissue and can easily shatter delicate carpal bone . It often takes two people, either the patient or another nurse , to hold the finger stable while the doctor attempts to pull the 6 inch nail out with pliers . A squirt of blood splattering up the walls indicates the force that is often necessary .
Talking of builder’s fingers, we also often had impact injuries, such as hitting fingers with hammers or dropping slabs of concrete onto fingers and it often caused trauma underneath the nail bed . If there is bleeding under the
Once back in the emergency department , I reported back to the doctor. The patient’s blood pressure remained low and we were waiting for blood to be cross-matched for the patient to be transfused . T he consultant anaesthetist had organised a bed in the intensive care unit for the patient and we were waiting for them to call back when they were ready . The police had followed the patient throughout his treatment as he remained under arrest; they stood by his side but allowed me to provide the medical treatment that he needed.
The police surgeon had arrived to take samples of blood to test for illegal drugs . This is usual procedure for people suspected of being under the influence while driving . Two samples of blood are taken, one remains with the patient and another with the police for testing. T he officer had told me that as the patient was going to ICU he would leave ; h owever , h e remained under arrest and instructed staff to call the station if he had any positive or negative condition changes .
Amazingly the x-rays showed no fractures . T here were pins in his right arm where there had been previous surgery and the re was a clear deformity in his arm . His limbs were fine and I'd dressed his wounds while I was waiting for the bed in ICU . His abdomen was normal and no internal bleeding was found . T his man , who we were so worried about , had no injuries . H is blood results came back normal, he remained conscious and talking . T he blood transfusion was cancelled and the blood stored in the fridge , just in case . T his man , who we had all thought was near death’s door, had had an amazing escape . The drugs he had taken prior to the crash were the root cause of his dropping blood pressure and racing heart rate rather than the car crash. I had asked him had he taken any drugs at all and he denied it, but after what the police had told me and his state of shock , it was hard for me to believe him. I told him we need ed to know for medical purposes and it d id n’t matter about the police, but he still denied it.
The ICU bed became available so I gathered my equipment and , with a porter , moved him to ICU and handed him over to the ICU nurse. His condition remained serious and needed regular monitoring ; if he had take n speed or cocaine , he was at risk of having a heart attack, but I guess I will never know if it was sherbet powder or something stronger .
Work injuries
It is a common sight in the emergency department to see people with objects stuck in their fingers, such as sewing needles or nails from a nail gun . Usually builders attend emergency holding their impaled hand out in the air as if they may die from having this nail through the centre of their finger. It’s always an unexpected sight as they really should be using a safety guard to prevent this from happening . N ails from a nail gun are very hard to remove from soft tissue and can easily shatter delicate carpal bone . It often takes two people, either the patient or another nurse , to hold the finger stable while the doctor attempts to pull the 6 inch nail out with pliers . A squirt of blood splattering up the walls indicates the force that is often necessary .
Talking of builder’s fingers, we also often had impact injuries, such as hitting fingers with hammers or dropping slabs of concrete onto fingers and it often caused trauma underneath the nail bed . If there is bleeding under the
Similar Books
