6 case reports. Deadline next Friday and potentially only 1 afternoon left to write them in unless I work in the evenings. However, nothing like a deadline to concentrate the mind.
I've had a fairly dull week in A&E, until today that is. As dentists, the GDC require us to understand how to manage an acute medical emergency, so we get placed in A&E to watch and learn. So far, it has been the usual fare, elderly falls and drunks. Today I experienced my first full-on cardiac arrest and soaked it all up. I've never seen someone look so grey before, and the whole performance, although carried out with some urgency, was rather protracted, over 2 hours or so before transfer to ICU for cooling. And that was after 45 mins of CPR prior to arrival in hospital. It was a suspected electrocution, but later decided more likely to be MI. He was in asystole when the paramedics arrived, fluttered in and out of arrest in Resus and went to ICU with a very poor outlook. I'll check up on him tomorrow. Quite harrowing for a time.
Myocardial infarcts are on the cards for me at the moment. Dad experienced his first one, just days before his 80th birthday the other day. Fortunately, a couple more stents and he's soldiering on again.
While I was there today, one of the cardiac team was summoned and something rang a bell in the back of my mind when the name was mentioned. The consultant on call arrived and sure enough, there was a friendly familiar face from a decade ago. I was working in the Cardiology Department at Blackpool Victoria Hospital then, an unrewarding and stressful post when Dr H was a Reg there. I said hello and he did a double take! He seemed genuinely pleased to remember me and see that I as no longer constrained to such an unrewarding capacity. A hint of encouragement.
Life and death. A flash from the past.
