A Clinical Experience: Purple Alert!

0830 "As I walked into the Trauma Center, I had a feeling. Not the feeling that today was going to be a good day but that it was going to be a busy day. A busy day indeed it was...."

The following post is going to be a recount of my experiences in the E.R. (CAUTION: This post contains graphic images that may not be suitable for children and those w/ weak stomachs). Everyone else, buckle up and prepare yourself b/c I'm about to take you for a ride!

"Purple Alert! Purple Alert! E.R. Purple Alert" Those are the first words I heard as I entered the Trauma Center. To those of you who are unfamiliar w/ what a Purple Alert is, it's a code indicating that the E.R. is at full capacity. With that being said, as I looked all around me, there were clients everywhere. Some were complaining of chest pain others were in dire need of help w/ trauma in either their upper or lower extremities. My initial thought was: Where shall I began? Should I randomly start helping clients or should I talk to the charge nurse and see what I can do to help. Simply put, after a personal game of eenie, meenie, miny, mo I chose the second response, lol. So, I introduced myself to the charge nurse and she paired me w/ a member of her Trauma Team named Tracy. He was a gentleman who appeared to be in his 40's. He was approx. 5'10", 165 lbs, brown hair, green eyes and was a very cool dude. He was a RN who had been working in the E.R. going on 3 yrs; he was a pleasure to work with. Anyways, as I went to introduce myself to Tracy he had just received a new admit. It was a client in his late 40's who was admitted by the police suffering from Trauma in his upper & lower extremities as a result from being beat w/ a bat by his wife's boyfriend. I know...crazy, right? Here's a even more crazy twist...He was a Baker Act patient (the first of many I would tend to that day) meaning that he was a threat to others. Imagine the thoughts that were going through my mind when I found that out. A word from the wise: In medicine, you are faced with all kinds of different patients. Therefore, you must always be prepared to expect the unexpected.

With that being said, I sucked it up and did what I had to do b/c this client's life was in my hands and he needed my help. He was severely injured, had a deep cut on his index finger that was bleeding rather profusely and if I didn't do something quick he was prone to getting an infection.



Therefore, I had to act fast. First thing I did was irrigate the wound and clear any debris that may be present within the cut. Then, I assisted the Physician Assistant w/ stitching up the wound.



After that, I cleaned up any other wounds that were present and placed my client in a neon green gown which is an indicator of a Bake Act patient. Then, I was finally done. NOT!

Literally right after I finished, a cardiac arrest patient came in.



He was a man in his late 40's who apparently collapsed while exercising w/ his wife. I know...sad, right? Once he arrived, the whole trauma team was in that room (including myself) attaching leeds, monitors, and getting all the supplies needed in order to attempt to bring this gentleman back to life. There had to be about 10 of us packed in this medium sized room surrounded and we all played a vital role.



One nurse was holding the IV bag, the other was holding the respiratory bag, one nurse was in charge of shocking the patient, one nurse was giving the meds via IV, one nurse was doing CPR, one was monitoring the cardiac monitor, and one was documenting. With that being, you can kind of visualize what was going on in the room. Teamwork was definitely the name of the game in that room. Everyone was helping each other out and alternating positions. To illustrate, I was alternating between doing CPR and holding the IV bag. We had to be in there for about 30 to 45 minutes doing CPR, shocking the patient, giving meds and so on and so forth. All you can hear was "Atropine x amt of mg, epi x amt of mg, defibrillate, CPR" In the end, the patient didn't make it but we tried our best. It's always sad to see such a young person die but in medicine, you win some & you lose some. That's just the way things goes.

Despite that unfortunate event, I managed to go through the day and help many clients and they were very grateful for the care that I provided for them. Therefore, all in all, I have to say that it was a good day.

End Note:
As I sit back and reflect upon what occurred that day, I truly have to commend those who work in the E.R. It definitely takes a special person to do what they do on a daily basis. I really learned the importance of teamwork and how vital it is in an emergency setting. With that being said, I want to give thanks to G-d b/c through this experience it has made me a more effective healthcare provider and it will make me an even greater doctor.

With that being said, what are your thoughts? Did you find this post interesting? Feel free to share your thoughts and or leave any comments you may have. I'd love to hear from you. Anyways, I hope everyone had a great weekend and I'll ttyl. Take care. Peace, Love, and God Bless. This is 'thedoc' and I'm signing out. 1.