That whenever you have a really sick patient who needs transfer for a service not performed at our hospital (in this case, an angiogram to attempt to coil a bleeding berry aneurysm), that for some reason there are no paramedic units available? Either through our hospital or the receiving place???? WTF?!! I think it is a Murphy’s Law situation. To compound the problem, one of the family members was a doctor who was close to taking the patient into her car and having someone bag her (she was intubated) for the transport! Luckily we were eventually able to scramble a BLS unit, a nurse, and a medical intern together to transport the patient before her head exploded!
Did the patient survive the procedure?
Oh my goodness, sometimes we have a problem with getting our neuro patients accepted (We are a CAH) at a larger facility–they are on diversion–no neuro beds. Then sometimes the helicopters can’t fly, most times they can go by ground but that is nerve wracking. We are about 120 miles away from Elvis Presley Trauma Center and about 80 miles from UMC in Jackson MS. Neurosurgeons are not in high supply in MS.
Why?
Because all the available units are out picking up patients with chronic back pain for 17 years who ran out of their Vicodin and transporting suicidal psych patients (who incidentally just got kicked out of their brother’s house and have no place to live) to an available psych institution to get the intensive therapy they need before the next check comes out.
What Whitecoat said.
This happens ALL THE TIME in NYC. And, to make matters worse, the “interfacility transport” crews are TOTALLY separate from the “bring pt with hangnail x 7 hours” crews. So, you can have a FDNY ALS or BLS truck hanging out at the ED…AND THEY CAN’T TRANSPORT THE PATIENT TO THE HOSPITAL 60 BLOCKS UPTOWN WITH A CATH LAB.
How about this: our hospital system cath lab is only open M-F 0700-1630. So, don’t go having a STEMI outside of these times, or you’re S.O.L and it’s TNK for you
Definitely what Whitecoat said. Usually the closest psych facility is the state hospital (an hour away) or the crisis center (an hour away), and it’s a contract trip so we can’t deny transport. And the 17 year chronic back pain that suddenly gets worse at 3 a-yem dialed 911 so we can’t deny that one either……
OMG!
I found out she survived but has some neurological deficits. Hopefully things will improve.
Was happened to the patient?
[...] this from ER Stories makes my ulcer start acting up. I hate when I’m stuck trying to transfer a patient who is critical and having logistical problems. Expectations from patients and their families [...]
Its because we are handling 911 calls which is our jobs. If your hospital is not able to handle critical patients, then your hospital should get its own ambulance and handle it themselves. Sorry its not our job to be at your beck and call.
No Lucy, there are units that are just for transport. Not actively 911 receiving. They just are never available when I have sick one.