List Archives

Sun Nov 5 19:01:18 GMT 2006

The only one who can "cancel" the ambulance is the patient, who does
have the right to refuse treatment/transport.  The only caveat is that
the patient needs to be deemed competent, and given the circumstances,
the medics could have made an argument for transport against the
patient's wishes if they felt that the patient was NOT mentally
competent.  Tough decision - but that is why they pay us the big
bucks.....

>>> "oded private" <tangentcarrot at hotmail.com> 11/04/06 2:05 PM >>>
Young Man (mid 20's),thin and healthy appearing, working in night club, 
crashes at the club. He is unressponsive to voice or pain (GCS score=3),
but 
has a patent airway, is breathing Spontaneuosly and has a strong pulse
at 
around 70 bpm. According to friends, he didn't take drugs or drink
excessive 
alcohol, but might have been hurt by another clubber. I order the
activation 
of the EMS. within ~1 min. he starts waking up and vomits. We take him 
outside, where I learn his boss canceled the bus since "his Ok now". He 
keeps on vomiting, has a thready pulse, is shivering, and has retrograde
and 
antegrade amnesia. Claims are he had been stuck in the head. Finaly,I
manage 
to convience him to take the bus to hospital. When the bus comes, the
boss, 
once again, insissts that the owner will take him to the hospital.
Ambulance 
personnel don't even argue and get away, inspite of my attempts. Finaly,
we 
get to the hospital by car, at least 40 min post injury (?).

The first dillema is- should EMS personnel (EMT-B'S, in this case)
insist 
with such pateints? I tried conviencing them to "talk some sense" into
him, 
but they refused,despite my description of coma and amnesia, saying they

couldn't force him and that "he looks fine now", and left the scene.

What are your thoughts?

_________________________________________________________________
Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today it's FREE!

http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/

--
trauma-list : TRAUMA.ORG
To change your settings or unsubscribe visit:
http://www.trauma.org/traumalist.html

List Archives

For your convenience, find the Trauma List Archive Below

Consesnt vs. Responsibility;