HappyFishDota t1_iuv5n6u wrote
Reply to comment by kevinds in Denver firefighters suspended for getting woman pronounced dead even though she was alive by xraygun2014
Doctors aren't gonna drive out to every corpse that gets called in. 99.999% this is a total non-issue and only sheer and utter incompetence leads to that being an issue. It's why only EMS makes the call to the doctor - they're trained to identify the difference between 'dying' and 'dead'.
SomeManagement808 t1_iuvesbm wrote
Speak on things you actually know my guy. This is not even close to accurate. 99.9999% chance you made this shit up
KrippledElephan t1_iuvk2ed wrote
Literally šš. I currently work as an EMT in Colorado we are literally told to never bring in a dead pt and to work them on scene and once reasonable measures of life saving measures have been taken we are allowed to call it and end life saving measures. We are not legally pronouncing them dead but we are stopping life saving efforts. This dude has literally 0 idea wtf he was talking about
sterfri99 t1_iuw5jbn wrote
Bro, you can both be right depending on where you work. Iām a medic, and we bring in dead pts if the doc is in the mood. Pulseless vtachs and vfibs usually end up getting transported. Asystole almost never. Sometimes PEA. Stop and remember for a second that America is a massive and diverse place and your experience isnāt the same as everyone elseās. Donāt talk down to him when youāre just as wrong
SomeManagement808 t1_iv0qti5 wrote
The 99.99% dude talking out his ass isn't in the medical field. He's a cop. And spreading misinformation is his second day job.
sterfri99 t1_iv1o7t4 wrote
I responded directly to the EMT above me. Heās wrong too but he was more confident about it. We transport dead bodies sometimes
SomeManagement808 t1_iv2hwcq wrote
how can he be wrong when he is only speaking to what he's told at his place of work in Colorado? he's not speaking for everybody everywhere like officer dumbass is.
sterfri99 t1_iv2pyzh wrote
āThis dude has literally 0 idea wtf heās talking aboutā is incorrect because heās applying his singular experience in Colorado to someone working elsewhere under different protocols. We transport dead bodies in my state. The guy I responded to said thatās not what happens. Heās objectively wrong and I called him out on it as a higher level of care provider. In my area, doctors pronounce the patient 99.99% of the time. If someone works in a different system where things are done differently I wouldnāt tell him heās wrong
CriusofCoH t1_iuvfqyv wrote
As a former EMT-C, I can tell you: we were specifically trained and told we could NOT declare anyone dead except in two cases: head detached from body, or evident rot. Anything else was a working code until the hospital took over.
KrippledElephan t1_iuvk4os wrote
Yeah this is not correct
Noname_left t1_iuvynqg wrote
Please stop doing this. Not every person needs to be brought in.
CriusofCoH t1_iuw01tl wrote
And that leads us right back to the OP. Gonna err on the side of "maybe they're alive" and the ever pragmatic "how about we avoid a lawsuit".
SomeManagement808 t1_iv0tdj9 wrote
What part of "specifically trained and told" do you expect them to disregard because of some advice from "NoName" on the internet.
Noname_left t1_iv129dl wrote
Or it could be as an emtc they were not allowed to. Paramedics can and should. I canāt tell you how inappropriate bringing every dead person to the ED would be. Iāve been working ED for over a decade and it wastes resources all around transporting those patients.
this protocol here. This breaks it down nicely.
https://www.smchealth.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/ems_ops10_death_in_field_2_2012.pdf
wombatIsAngry t1_iuxbovs wrote
One of these guys was a certified EMT. It says in the article that his certification was revoked over this. Makes it especially egregious that he neglected to check any vitals.
I personally know a lot of firefighters who have EMT certifications despite having no interest in medicine. They find it super gross. But firefighting is very competitive to get into, and a lot of them get their EMT certification to improve their chances of being hired as firefighters.
Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments