12 Hours in the ER
It is taken for granted in developed countries that we have the high quality health care we do. We have access to state of the art technology, the latest medications, and modern facilities. At these facilities we see a large cross-section of society. A typical emergency room at one of these medical centers will often see over 70,000 patients a year.
Of these patients, there are always a diverse range of cases; conditions ranging from non-existent to terminal. While each case is sorted out by importance, or triaged, there is always room for improvement. My wife and I were unfortunate enough to have found this out firsthand.
2:30 pm: I bring my wife to the ER. She is in extreme pain. She has been referred here by another local hospital and told that she would be sent “direct to surgery”. A dangerous infection has set in that, left untreated, could seriously endanger her life. Because she has had five open-heart surgeries and two valve replacements, she always needs to be vigilant for infections such as Staph or Strep. She has had this infection before, and has tested positive for both of these infections. Her condition needs to be treated quickly. To make sure that this happens, the hospital would be calling ahead. She has been given Demerol for the pain at the other hospital to hold her over until treatment. It shouldn’t be long before she receives the medical care required.
Endocarditis is an infection which attacks the heart valves of a patient. The infection can be introduced into the system by several methods, but usually gets into the system during medical procedures. During a procedure, some of this bacterium, which are present in the mouth and skin, get into the blood system, where it attaches itself to the heart valve’s lining. If not treated, the valves are eaten away, killing the patient. Even with treatment, 20 percent of all patients with endocarditis will die from this infection. While this condition is rare in people with normal hearts, it is more common and especially dangerous for people with pre-existing heart defects or repairs.
2:45 pm: After I have dropped her at the Emergency doors, I park the car, hoping to get back to her before she’s taken away and cared for. When I finally get there, I’m surprised that she’s still at the desk. Instead of being taken “straight to surgery” as we were told, she is triaged with the rest of the patients. It seems that the paperwork was either lost or never made it here in the first place. Surgery will have to be paged...