Surviving casualty department 1

It had been a long time since I last updated my blog because I had been posted in casualty department for the past 16 days. I was so worried before attending the posting. Now, after leaving that department and resuming my ward work, I miss those 16 days crazily, I miss my co-interns there, I miss the nurses there, I miss those 12 hours. Casualty posting timing was fixed, it was 8 to 8, so there would be day duty and night duty. However due to odd number of group members, I decided to choose do all day duties, I would not have any night duty.

16.07.18
The first day of being in casualty is just SCARY and BUSY!

The patients came like a swamp of bees, never ending.

Early in the morning a destitute was pushed in a trolley with multiple stab injuries. The face was broken into three pieces and there was an injury on the neck which somehow acted like a tracheostomy and she breathed through that hole.  OMFS, anaesthesiologist, and surgery specialist were called over to casualty department. However, she died even after CPR was done to retrieve her.

And then there was a suicide case. The patient tried to hang himself but he was brought to casualty. He was so emotionally unstable that he kept moving his limbs aggressively, making incomprehensible sound loudly. About 10 people including doctors, sisters, workers had to hold him in place, trying to tie him on the bed. And yet he still struggled to free himself. After sedatives was given, only he calmed down.

There was also a hepatic encephalopathy case, known case of alcoholic. The patient was brought in a confusion and drowsy state. He would not answer anything, kept sleeping. According to the bystander, his sleep cycles was altered before this. On examination, his abdomen was massively distended with prominent dilated veins. It was hard to make out whether there was hepatomegaly or splenomegaly as massive ascites was present. Gynaecomastia was observed, however spider naevi was not seen. When he woke up, he was so much disoriented that he started peeing and passing stool on the bed.  

And those weird cases still going on...my jobs kept going on...checking the vitals, initital examination of the patient, withdrawing blood to send for investigation, suturing those wounds especially scalp injuries, cleaning and dressing, and sending off those who came to emergency just for mere fever since 1 or 2 days. 

I had never sit down for more than 30mins for 13 hrs. Exhausted and drenched in sweat, I cried my heart out after reaching home. It was mentally challenged to work in casualty department, and I was still learning. 

And a word of advice here: people, please don’t go to emergency or casualty just for cough and cold, fever for 2 or 3 days, or stomach pain. If it is ok to wait for the next day morning opd, don’t go to emergency and make the situation worse. Doctors and medical workers have to give priority to those whose life is on stake. If you have backache for the past two weeks, please go to the hospital earlier before the opd closes, I am sure if u have been bearing the pain for 2 weeks, one more day won’t make any difference.

We drew when there was no patient.