Comments on: We run our strips. We go home.

By: Called on you guys the other day.

Called on you guys the other day. — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:13:46 +0000

I know it’s a pain…

but thank you.

By: Trey Johnson

Trey Johnson — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:18:05 +0000

It always sucks when you are in that situation, you really want to help but can’t do a thing. Great blog by the way, just started one myself and can only hope it will be half as good as yours1

By: medicthree

medicthree — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:41:50 +0000

Odly We don’t have to run a strip on DOA’s here. If they’re dead, they’re dead.

We also end up having a little more conversation with the family, since we have to communicate with the coroner to provide time of death and we are responsible for arranging body transport to the funeral home. I’m almost envious of you for being able to scoot out of there. That is the hardest part of our job–being able to do nothing.

By: Jeremy Black

Jeremy Black — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:52:40 +0000

You captured the moments perfectly.

By: Medic999

Medic999 — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:28:45 +0000

I think the same sometimes. In fact just 3 days ago, I was at a sudden death, I walked upstairs found the deceased gentleman lying in his bed. He was as cold as a fridge and as stiff as one too, so I filled in my forms and went to speak to the police who had arrived. As I was filling my forms I wrote the normal ‘Rigor present, along with post mortem lividity’, when I realised I hadnt actually checked for lividity.
It didnt matter that he was solid and as cold as stone, I couldnt leave the scene without first satisfying myself that I had actually seen his post mortem staining…..Oh and whilst I was there, why not run off a quick asystole trace right?

Call it paranoia, but its just what I do!!

By: Smitty

Smitty — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:50:37 +0000

Great post! I think the worst emotionally is when you run on those calls where there is nothing you can do. The family called us because they thought we could help. It is tough when they do not understand there is a very small window of time that we can help. I was on a called where a wife was doing CPR on her husband who blue, cold, and rigor mortis had started to sit in.

By: Medic 22

Medic 22 — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:11:08 +0000

Well written. It’s a crummy part of the job…