Natural laughing gas

One job this evening, to an elderly patient who had fallen earlier in the afternoon hitting seemingly every limb on the way down.

The patient’s mid 50’s son dialled 911 for an ambulance (it’s 999 folks!) but still managed to summon help.

I was due to be meeting some CFR colleagues in the pub for a brainstorming session for our Soap Box derby (more on that in a later post perhaps!) and had all but sent my “OFD” (Off Duty) text message when I received the following call.

Resource Alloc. Call Details: {call number} **/03/2019 {Patient’s address}, Age **. Traumatic Injurys – Falls. Wrist is pointing the wrong way and hand and thigh deformed. Conscious-YES, Breathing-YES.

As well as cardiac arrests, we also get sent to trauma jobs but do not carry pain relief some CFRs are quite vocal in their opinions on this, in some cases I would agree but today I managed just fine without. Lucky on arrival ***** had been carried into bed by relatives and despite scoring 10/10 in pain was in good spirits.

After completing 2 full sets of observations I began writing up and completing the paperwork. It’s a pleasure to be able to spend the time with different people in the community, and this patient was a dream. I used the time not only to write an accurate history for the receiving Paramedics and Emergency Department, but to have a laugh with the patient. By the end of my time with them they said it still hurt just as bad as when I arrived but they felt much better in general.

So there you have it, a CFR can still help make a patient feel better even without pain relief!

Upon the arrival of the crew the good craic continued the the fantastic EMAS Paramedic and ECA until the patient was safely carried into the ambulance. Suspected neck of femur fracture, and broken wrist. Ouch!

Some excellent feedback from the crew: “I love it when we get paperwork as good as this – it makes our lives so much easier”

Happier patient + Happy Paramedics = Happy CFR!

Now to bed ready for work tomorrow…