How long do work on some one?

[WOODMAN]

Just a question I have for all the medical types out there.I being from the fire side of the rescue groups and whose department does not run medical calls was wondering how can you people work on someone when you know form past runs there is no hope for that person?and how do you not toss in the towel sometimes.The reason for me asking is a close friend of mine was killed monday at work,his head was crushed by 600lbs of steel
and I happened to hear it on the radio and showed up and here is all the medics working on him and I was just wondering how you guys
do it.I do not mean any distresecpt by asking this question now I hope I DON'T CAUSE ANY HARD FEELINGS OUT THERE like some of my brothers in the fire service to.

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[EMT-P]

Well WOODMAN, In our EMS system we are required to work on someone, Meaning CPR or Rapid transport, if the patient is still warm. Now, if there is dependent lividity (blood has pooled at the back of the body due to death being for several hours)also if there is rigormortis (total stiffness) and if the patient is decapitated or showing brain matter with heart in asystole, we are not required to start resusitation. We just call the coroner. No disrespect intended, but did your friend have actual brain matter coming from his head? The reason I ask is that Paramedics are taught to save a life no matter what. We are not to judge if a person is actually brain dead or if the patient would have severe brain injury causing him to be in a vegetative state for years thus making his life a living hell for himself or family members. When someone asks me about why we try to revive somone who is obviously going to die. I always refer to my experience with a 16 year old kid that shot himself in the head close range with a 22 caliber pistol. When we arrived on seen he had been down for 30 minutes. When we got on scene he was not breathing, asystole. We must have just got to him as he stopped breathing because after we intubated him started CPR and gave first round drugs we got his heart rate back at a strong 130 bpm. The bystanders could not believe what we where doing. They felt that he was dead and we were somehow showing some morbid activity trying to give his family some hope. To make a long story short he did not live more than 3 days but from what I read in the newspaper the family came to piece with his death and the family donated his organs and it saved 3 other peoples lives. I am not trying to attack you but you really need to understand that if they could not save your friends life maybe his organs could save another.

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Life, Death, We are the difference.

[Paramark14]

As mentioned before,if there is obvious signs that resusitation would be fruitless we are not required to start ALS. But I feel that if I'm going to err, I'm going to do so on the side of the patient. I have seen times when no one would beleive that a person could survive an injury, but they did, and they are living normal lives. Everyone deserves a chance, even if its a slim one.

Mark
NREMTP
Indiana