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Tue 11 Jan, 2005 05:15 pm
This question is directed more towards those who have medical knowledge (nurses, doctors, emts, paramedics..etc) I am an EMT and had a call for a 19 yr old who was running a fever and seized. He hadnt urinated for 4 days so was very dehydrated. The paramedic gave him an IV to rehydrate him and of course oxygen...his heart was monitored the entire way, same with pulse ox which was 99 and blood sugar which was 112. He was post-dictal when we found him, and he slowly got out of it...to the point where he was alert and talking about his experiences in the marine corps. When we got him to the hospital...we transferred him over to the bed and handed him off to the staff...he began to seize again and then went into cardiac arrest. Sadly, he never came out of it. We were all effected by this because of course, we were asking ourselves what did we do wrong...what could we have done because that is just not normal for a 19 yr old. What do you think could have happened that caused him to go into cardiac arrest? What there anything you think we should have done differently? Please, any comments are encouraged.
His heart may have been dehydrated beyond repair. 4 days without urinating is an awfully long time. Also, there may have been some undiagnosed heart condition. What was causing the fever and how high was it? A staph infection could have invaded the heart. The illness may have been the culprit. I doubt that there was anything you could have done.
what r the chances that the electrolytes going through the iv went in too fast which caused the cardiac arrest?
any history of drug use that you know of?
it wasnt confirmed by anyone, but i was told he had a cocaine problem idk if it was ongoing or past
EMSFD125 wrote:what r the chances that the electrolytes going through the iv went in too fast which caused the cardiac arrest?
Have you seen the coroners report?
Like Shewolf, I suspect recreational drug use may have played a part.
Having been a nurse ( 9 years) and worked er
I would lay money down, cocaine/ crank.
Weakens the heart muscles, tears up the kidneys...ahh you know the drill
Was he showing signs of jaundice?
it did have somehwat of a yellowish complexion, and no i did not see the coroners report...probably wont either, i wonder if i even have access to that as the EMT
I'm not sure, but I'd think that a coroner's report would be a matter of public record.
It is matter of public record if 2 things happen
1) family doesnt request other wise
2) no suspected murder
if he hadnt urinated in 3 days? 4 days? His body was toxic.
It would be totally impossible to know why the young man died, without knowing his past medical history and his current medications.
He had a fever and hadn't urinated for 4 days. Fever of unknown origin?
Why didn't he urinate? Not enough fluid intake, kidney/bladder infection, or neurological problem. EMT thought man was dehydrated, because of no urine output. Reasonable assumption? Don't know.
Inability to urinate is a side effect of opioid administration. My guess would be the man was taking heroin, oxycodone, or another opioid-derivative and that this is why he OD and died. If this man had OD on cocaine, he would have been excitable, instead he was comatose. This too is a side effect of opioid administration.
Administrationof IV and flow rate, probably had othing to do with man's death.
Another point to remember, is that there can be a fever in the absence of infection. Some medications ( drugs ) in the wrong combinations can cause fevers, seizures and death.
EMSFD125 wrote:it did have somehwat of a yellowish complexion, and no i did not see the coroners report...probably wont either, i wonder if i even have access to that as the EMT
If you were in any way responsible for the death you would have known by now. Rest assured.
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