Posted on 02/02/2007 4:42:31 AM PST by 60Gunner
They may not have gotten him to the hospital quicker, but they are well equipped to treat any arrhythmias (abnormal heart beats) on the way to the hospital. He also would have arrived at the ER with IV access already established, oxygen on board, and an EKG already read and transmitted so the ED physician knew before he arrived that it was a heart attack, and what part of the heart was involved. If it took more than a few minutes to stabilize and transport him, the cath lab would be ready by the time he arrived for definitive care.
The paramedics do a lot more than just drive you to the hospital. An arrhythmia is what kills you early in the heart attack, and they are well equipped to deal with any arrhythmias during transport.
NEVER DRIVE YOURSELF WHEN YOU ARE HAVING CHEST PAIN
Don't forget sex!!
My son had a seizure while we were in the car, so we just drove to the hospital figuring that was under five minutes rather than at least 20 to get an ambulance to us and then transport him. Moron at the front desk put him in line for triage with the people with sniffles! I got some attention for my son and then chewed out the desk person. The hospital staff got huffy so I called my son's neurologist, who chewed out the president of the hospital.
I work IN a hospital, and would still likely call 911 unless I was in a clinical area. I work in the dungeon of our hospital where our primary data center is located. I often work isolated and alone, and would rather have paramedics on the way if I felt such symptoms than to collapse in an isolated part of the facility with no one knowing what happened to me.
Then again, I suppose if I was near a hospital phone at the time I could always call a Code on myself.
Yes, but if you called a code at your location, how many people on the code team would know where your office was located?
Well, it depends on the context. I mean, traffic may not get out of your way, but you would certainly stop it.
It also depends on the timing. If you are having chest pain and shortness of breath before sex, don't have sex. But if you have chest pain and shortness of breath aftersex, that might be one of the side effects of said activity.
And I certainly would not advocate having sex with the Medic crews while being transported to the ER. It's a distraction, and equipment damage may result.
However, there is a correlation between sex and heart attacks. During climax, people tend to hold their breath and bear down with their abdominal muscles. This increases pressure in the chest cavity and triggers baroreceptors in the pulmonary artery. This is called the Valsalva maneuver. This stimulates the vagus nerve, which in turn tells the heart to slow down and also causes arterial dilation...
Which in turn causes the blood pressure of the beloved to fall like a wildebeest off the high dive. The poor slob then passes out. Bummer.
The partner, unaware of what is going on, may be inspired to cry "Why don you always fall asleep? Why don't you ever cuddle with me, honey? Honey? Honey...?!"
FYI, the Valsalva maneuver is not found in the Kama Sutra; but if it was, it would probably be called "Lotus blossom lapsing into unconsciousness and falling heavily onto beloved" or something like that. You're welcome. No charge for that.
Depends where you live. Some places, it might be a mistake. When my mom was pregnant with one of my brothers she was diagnosed with placenta previa and knowing she might need an emergency trip to the hospital any minute, talked to the local EMS and explained everything ahead of time. When it did come that she needed to go to the hospital, immediately, it took them so long to arrive that my dad had given up and taken her himself. And they didn't send an ambulance, they sent a paramedic in a pickup truck.
Admittedly that was an odd combination of a really good hospital ten minutes away and a really small suburban community without a lot of emergency workers, but still. People should know what their rapid response will be.
Very true. We have signs to guide people around in a very general way. They will get you to the area, but sometimes one may have to look further for a specific location. Allot of times I'm not in an office either. It's not completely unusual for me to be in a ceiling or on a roof somewhere. Of course I'm in my early 30s, but I've heard of such things happening to younger people. Having smoked for a long time(just one more day till I quit!), and having hypertension, I'm very aware of such issues. I think it may be a good idea to carry a radio around.
Wow, when did you meet my father?
[Laughing so I don't scream...]
Morons at our local hospital made my daughter go through triage twice. She hadn't been discharged. She still had an IV port in her arm. But she had been sent to a different part of the hospital for a procedure. When she returned to the ER, they made her go through triage again because there were no beds open. She had several seizures while sitting in a wheelchair waiting for a bed.
I'm going to add something to that. I used to be a volunteer EMT in a very rural area, where it could easily be a hundred miles to the nearest hospital. If you're in danger of an AMI under those circustances, you should still call EMS - we might tell you to start for the hospital and intercept you on the way. Also, we could call for a copter.
Not to be callous, but if there were no open beds, what do you expect them to do... toss someone else off of a bed to put your daughter in it?
(When my time comes, I just hope I get a ride to a hospital that doesn't have capacity problems that day!)
I had heard this name given to the method I use to equalize pressure in the middle ear when a plane is descending. But according to Wikipedia a similar method is a test of cardiac function.
Did you get a look at this woman? What was her age and appearance? She sounds like someone I know.
So you have sex to equalize the pressure in the middle ear when a plane is descending?
Wow, the things I learn on FR!
(Sorry, couldn't resist)
You know my mom?
*sigh* I won't do it again...
This is what I'm so afraid of - that I'll have something happen out in public and someone will call an ambulance for me (as they should) but I can't pay for, or even obligate myself to pay for, an ambulance at this point in my life, so I wouldn't call one myself.
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