Direct Hit May 10, 2008
Posted by keepbreathing in ICU, disgusting, my life, respiratory therapy.trackback
One thing I’ve mostly avoided in the years of my career has been contact with disgusting body fluids. I’ve narrowly escaped rivers of liquid stool, lakes of spilled urine, pools of tacky blood and fountains of vomit. I’ve narrowly dodged the gale-force flatus of a 400-pound man who was facedown on the floor. Whether through pure luck, a sixth sense, or simple good timing, I’ve been able to avoid being hit with anything disgusting for several years straight.
Today, my streak came to an end. I was assisting one of the ICU nurses with a turn, something I am more than happy to do simply because working in intensive care is a team effort. We were turning a patient who has recently been bestowed with a tracheotomy. The turn went from mellow to slightly more frantic when the patient suddenly became distressed. The heart rate went up, the respirations increased to a frantic pace, the blood pressure skyrocketed. Without even exchanging a word the nurse and I quickened our pace, stuffed the old blankets beneath the patients back and flipped them over the hump.
At that moment several things happened. As the patient rolled over the hump the ventilator tubing disconnected from the trache. The disconnect caused the trache to pull. The pulling of the trache caused the patient to cough madly. Time slowed down to a crawl. I watched from a distance as a giant wad of tan phlegm came flying out of the patients throat. I turned my head and braced for impact.
And then it hit me. It was rather like a very unpleasant rain shower. The patient had scored a direct hit. I winced in disgust. I could feel the clammy muck spattered about my face. I left the room to the sound of the nurse laughing (in a sympathetic way) and found my way to the closest sink, in which I dunked my head.
And so it goes in the wonderful world of respiratory care.
Delicious. I had that happen to me when I was a student, and the patient that got me had a rare flesh eating disease. For the longest time I could feel my flesh disappearing.
thank you…you just reminded me why I love being an rt. No one else could handle that but us
I can only sympathize with you and laugh hysterically.
Being a Pediatric Respiratory Therapist, I can only tell you that ALL SORTS of things spew from the little ones!!!!
My sympathies…I had that happen when I was a student too! It never gets any easier…Yesterday I got some old guys “eye juices” on my sleeve during an intubation and blood on my shoe. Part of the job that I HATE!
I hold my hand up to you for the job you do. Not many could do this type of work. Without folks like you where would we be
Splat. You know it’s going to be a bad day when you have to change your scrubs in the first hour thanks to a bodily fluid assault! Sorry to hear the streak is broken!
What can one say?
The laughter part …..is understandable.
My fishing buddy, Dave, was a bee keeper once. During a job, the little buggers got into his suit, and he was soon dancing in pain. He looked at the house , and saw the owners laughing through a big window at his reactions.
They liked him, but thought his non-lethal encounter was laughable.
No thought, ..a slip on a bananna peel.. funny as long as you get up???
Many of the the old B+W Comedy movies had that theme. Buster Keaton, Harold Loyd, the Stooges.They get a moderate injury, and it’s funny to the observer.
Thank God it didn’t hit your open eye.
That’s one of the ways viruses are transmitted, you know.
AJC