Problems, Problems

I cut through the jeans leg, trying not to actually cut the patient. It should be easy as she is lying on the resus table in A&E and not in the back of a moving Ambulance but this is the first patient I have seen deteriorate during our care and my hands are shaking. I am helping the resus team strip the patient so that they can work on her.

I watch as the anaesthetist waits for the paralytic and anaesthetic to take effect so he can intubate her and take over her breathing, he removes the airway I inserted in the Ambulance for a more secure alternative.

A nurse attaches ECG dots to her body, ours have come off when she started fitting on the way into the hospital, the ECG will tell them the damage the overdose is doing to her heart. It's not good news when the print off comes chattering out of the machine. Atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular responses. There is no recognisable QRS complex and the heart rhythm is in disarray.

A Doctor is inserting a nasal gastric tube to enable the litre of concentrated charcoal solution to be pumped into her stomach, to absorb any remaining medications.

Two nurses work on gaining additional intra venous lines in her hands and arms to administer the Sodium Bicarbonate solution, which will try and arrest the toxic acidosis caused by the 23 anti depressants reeking havoc to her body systems.

The Consultant of A&E medicine calmly directs the nurse as she draws up the additional syringes of drugs that will be required to stabilise the patient to ensure she makes it through the next hours.

Bloods are taken for sugar levels, post fitting this can cause it's own problems, also a screen for any other additional medications in her system. We need to know what she has taken. My crew mate and I gathered 2 different meds that were evident on the scene and the Police have returned to the address to search for others.

I stand back as the team of 10 people work busily trying to keep this girl alive, when she so obviously did not want to be.

I watch for 30 mins hoping to see some sign of improvement, silly really with her anaesthetised, I look for a more relaxed manner in the A&E resus team, showing she is making some effort on her own to live but they are just as efficient and non emotional as they have been from the start.

Finally my crew mates comes and gets me. We need to book clear and be ready for the next job. I leave and clear my head ready for the next call to a girl with a belly ache!

I thought about her throughout the shift that night and what must have been going through her head, at 20 yrs of age to do this, I do not understand it and struggle to see this as a solution. This was not a cry for help, have seen a few of those and they are almost laughable compared to this.

Can the system offer her the support she needs? If she lives to accept it.