Shades of Edgar Alan Poe...

[zahncrelnik]

Man declared dead found breathing in morgue
N.C. emergency medical team suspended after screw-up
The Associated Press
Updated: 9:11 a.m. ET Jan. 27, 2005

RALEIGH, N.C. - A medical examiner studying a body in a morgue was startled when the man took a shallow breath.

read the rest of the story at:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6875358/

[kechara420]

"Gee, I can't tell if he's got a pulse or not" ... :rolleyes: Makes me REALLY glad I don't live in that town!

[I-am-so-Johns-girl]

What the ?????

[scrape_medic]

???? ??? ???? >

:rolleyes: do these guys not have portable ECGs (EKGs)?

and what was the doctor doing not examining the body? (actually that has happened with one of my patients.....but she was definately deceased, cause I checked with both an ecg and a stethascope!), but really?!

I did have a doctor question whether a patient i "recognised as deceased" (cause i cannot pronounce death) was still alive, three hours later........she was, we went back with the ECG to prove it and test her again. What was bad about it was that the doctor had been talking to the family after he had called us back and said to them.."there may be some hope". We left him to explain to the distraught family that she was still dead.

[BillFrugge]

Maybe it's just in Indiana, but EMS techs aren't qualified to pronounce death unless the body falls under at least 1 of around 7 signs of non-viability. (Decapitation being one of them...) They are required to attempt every means of resusitation.

[who45]

:eek3:

[scrape_medic]

Recognition of death is not the same as pronoucing death but that is semantics (Legal ones) Its the same for EMTs here too, there are ten ( ? if I can remeber them off the top of my head) reasons for not attempting a resuscitation attempt for EMTs, but paramedics can cease resuscitation attempt if they are proving to be futile. (Usually a 25 minutes attempt with five rounds of epinepherine and CPR and DC shocks and IV fluid challenge if required.) If there has been no cardiac output (resulting in pulse) or change of cardiac rhythmn in that time then resuscitation can be terminated. (pretty much the same as you would get in a hospital, bar one drug challenge and a blood gas analysis).

I think it is similar over there, the only difference is that it is my understanding that a ER doctor has to be contacted to authorise the termination of resuscitation.

Pulses can be fickle to find, especially if there is a low cardiac output. But good practice would dictate the use of an ECG monitor for any patient you believed to be deceased, but hasn't developed signs of death such as post mortem staining, rigor, or the like, as would probably be the case in the victim of a car wreck.

The EMTs are at fault in this case but so is the doctor.

[Clarsax]

That's a lucky guy. It's a good thing they realized he was alive before doing anything to him.

[NYPinTA]

That's a lucky guy. It's a good thing they realized he was alive before doing anything to him.

:eek: And there is tonights nightmarish image. Thanks. :lol

[DRD2001]

"Gee, I can't tell if he's got a pulse or not" ... :rolleyes: Makes me REALLY glad I don't live in that town! :lol That "town" is our state capitol.

I don't really know what the exam proceedure is but I do wonder if this man will suffer any long term problems, due to lack of oxygen.

[abbadon]

Shades of Edgar Alan Poe........
cannot pronounce death....
...

*sorry couldnt get it out of head....

[JadedLegend3]

That's a lucky guy. It's a good thing they realized he was alive before doing anything to him.


That reminds me of a Firefly ep...