Last night I met one of the HEMS team that was on a recent call I attended.
The one where I performed my first needle-thoracocentesis.
It kept the lungs breathing.
It kept the heart pumping.
It kept the patient alive.
I knew at the time that the patient's chances of survival were very slim.
At last night's chance meeting my fears were confirmed.
The patient died about two days later.
Stabbing them in the chest didn't save their life.
But it did give the family the chance to come and say a final farewell.
And I guess that's something.
2 comments:
We can't stop death...we can only prolong it for a little while more. It sounds morbid, but giving the family just a little extra time means more to them than we'll ever realize.
And you gave that family that chance to say goodbye.
Well done!
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