I knew the address, worse, I knew the patient. I heard the call first go out over fire as they were dispatched. "FD for the male passed out in the bathroom, unknown if breathing." Why do they always die in the bathroom or on the toilet? I heard are medic unit called on the radio....where the hell is IP?! I answered the radio, already knowing what loomed ahead of me. I answered the radio, beating dispatch to their own dispatch (they hate when I do that, but I need to find IP!). I turn on all out lights, maybe it'll flush him out. The whole time I'm thinking of what I'll need, what steps I'll take, and what rhythms I'll see. Then it happens; "FD to Dispatch, we have a confirmed arrest." Great, my first cardiac arrest on my own as a cleared medic, oh well might as well happen early on, but why with IP! Finally he arrives, 2 minutes, where was he!
I know when we get there it is definitely the old man. I've taken care of him several time, always for hypoglycemia, he never watches his sugar. We never take him in and he's always so kind. His wife offers us beverages and candy when we show up, and always talks about her doll house. That doll house I will never forget, So elegant and yet so huge. Yet so empty with out any dolls to occupy its walls.
As I walk in the house I notice the wife just sitting in the living room alone, with no worries in the world. And then, outside the bathroom, lies the naked, frail body of the kind old man. FD has already gotten a tube for me (thank god, one less thing to worry about) and is working on a line. How could I be so stupid, I forgot this FD was ILS and able to actually do these things! I attach the patient to my monitor...asystole, continue CPR. It doesn't look good for the poor guy, then it hits me again, he's a diabetic, I bet his sugar dropped too low and he coded! I check his BG...I wait, and wait, and wait until finally..... HI! His sugar is above 550mg/dl! No wonder he coded he's way beyond DKA! (Diabetic Keto acidosis). Call med control, got orders for Bi-carb and push it....get it in and manage to pull my EJ line, thankfully we had two lines. Wait what that! Holy shit batman he's got a rhythm! Does he have a pulse? HE DOES! I have no clue what that rhythm is, but it sure works for me! I couldn't believe that we got him back! Whoops spoke too soon, he's gone into V-Tach, don't touch him IP I'm about to shock him! Good got that funky rhythm back.....nope spoke too soon again, now he's in V-Fib, thank god I'm giving him amiodarone and that didn't last. He might just live after all.
Call the doc back while everyone gets the Pt on a board and loaded into the ambulance. "Hey doc this is Medic13 again, I've got good news and bad news. Bad news is where inbound to your facility with that cardiac arrest and about 5 minutes out. Good news is that he's not in arrest any more and we got pulses and a REALLY good pressure back." I could tell the doc was stunned, but non-the-less happy and even said, "Wow, Good Job! I'll see you soon." Damn IP missed the turn again!
We get the patient to the hospital after nearly getting killed ourselves and give report and transfer care. My OPS officer and myself stay and watch as thing progress, in case they need any more information. Thats when thing began to go downhill. That Patients pressure began to drop, as well as the heart rate. They continued to drop until the patient went back into V-Tach, though with a pulse this time. The doc decided to shock the Patient, not once, not twice, but three time, according to the outdated protocols. I couldn't watch anymore. This poor old man is being taken after being given a second chance. Alas he has passed, nothing they do will work now and they let the family know. I wish my best to the family and to the wife. I truly hope someday I'll get to see that doll house again, under better circumstance of course.
I write this post some time after it actually happened as to allow for HIPPA and some other circumstances to pass.
