Transporting Patients to Appropriate Receiving Destinations

You and your partner find Mark, a 48-year-old male, sitting at the dining room table complaining of difficulty breathing and weakness. His skin is pale and clammy. He appears lethargic and is struggling to breathe. He looks at you as you enter the room and responds by thanking you for coming. As you begin to assess Mark, you note that his skin is warm and his pulse rate is fast. Your partner applies oxygen and you see Mark’s pulse oximetry increase from 91% to 95%. Mark tells you he had a cancerous tumor surgically removed from his lung and was released from the hospital a few weeks ago. He denies any complications from the procedure and says he has been feeling good until this morning when he woke up feeling weak and a little shorter of breath than normal. He has an appointment next week to follow up with his doctor.  Mark said he initially attributed his shortness of breath to “a flare-up of his COPD,” and was going to wait to talk to his physician but the weakness is something different and Mark is concerned. Your partner reports Mark’s blood pressure is 94/42 mmHg with a pulse of 107, respirations of 32 with a SpO2 of 95% on oxygen. His lung sounds are absent on the lower right side. The surgical scar appears to be healing well and Mark has no complaint of pain. You help Mark to your stretcher and begin transporting. During transport, you establish an IV and begin to administer fluid. ...
Source: JEMS Operations - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Columns Operations Source Type: news