Post your boring, nonsense shifts!

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I think over the next two years we're going to see a lot of docs on the fence about retirement, career change, etc. exit the field.

Nurses have definitely banded together throughout history, and the pandemic is no exception. Between tons of nurses leaving jobs to be travel nurses, going to NP school online, quitting, etc., there is a nationwide severe nursing shortage. We are paying $10,000/week for nurses to travel across the city to work at our hospital, and nurses have left our hospital to work across the city doing travel assignments. It's robbing Peter to pay Paul, and the only ones winning are the nurses and the travel agents brokering them. They are earning a killing right now.

Texas introduced (and I think passed) legislation forbidding nurses from working travel assignments within the state if they live in the state. Not sure if it's legal/constitutional, but it's going to be enforced until challenged. Several other states are also looking at similar legislation.

A curious move.
The real "good" solution is to somehow get the hospital system to invest in retaining good staff (of all degrees). I have reservations about wether this legislation will accomplish that.

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A curious move.
The real "good" solution is to somehow get the hospital system to invest in retaining good staff (of all degrees). I have reservations about wether this legislation will accomplish that.
Water always finds it's own level. Whatever is the worst way it could be is how I expect it to shake out.
 
In no particular order of arrival
1: I have flu. I feel unwell. DC
2: Thigh pain, concerned about DVT. No DVT. DC
3: Back pain and fever. Sent in for ?Epidural abscess. No risk factors. Has hx of sciatica. Has a cough and diarrhea. Normal neuro exam. Not worried about epidural abscess. Likely sciatica and URI. Covid swab sent. DCed
4: Dislocated finger. Relocated. DC.
5: Sore throat. Strep neg. Benign exam. DC
6: HA. Hx of HAs. Migraine cocktail. DC.
7: Finger pain and swelling sp injury. XR neg. DC.
8: +BCx callback. Has UTI after cysto. Labs yesterday had WBC 18 and he had fever. Got abx when BCx were sent. Now he feels fine. No fever. WBC normal. Looks like the abx are working. DC.
9: Fell and hurt foot. Foot is ok. DC.
10: 10F with cough. COVID+. DC.
11: 27F with hx of anxiety. Palpitations while getting an MRI. EKG good. DC.
12: Calf pain. DVT US neg. DC.
13: 29F N/V/D. Labs benign. Better with IVF/Zofran. DC.
14: R flank pain. Kidney stone. DC.
15: Abd pain/chest wall pain. Acute on chronic. Workup benign. Young healthy pt. DC.
16: Abd pain. Hx of Crohns. Labs all benign. Abd exam benign. DC.
17: Cough. Asthma. COVID swab sent. DC with pred.
18: UTI sx. Has UTI. DC w abx.
19: Old and dizzy. Labs fine.NCHCT fine. ADMITTED! Only one so far tonight.
20: Abd pain. Hx of pancreatitis. Lots of med problems. Labs so so. Scan looks like enteritis to me. Read pending. Will see.
21: Nonspecific abd pain in old person. Labs, imaging neg. DC.
22: Abd pain, n/v/d. Workup neg. DC.
23: Kid with SI. Obs for placement.
24: Abd pain. DCed yesterday after admission for same. Was admitted that time 1 day after being DCed for admission for same. Probably going to get admitted.
25: Vague depression. Denies SI. Ankle pain. Demanding narcs. Not getting narcs. Demands to be DCed. Is DCed. Says he refuses to leave and we have to treat him because he's suicidal. Bluff called. DCed. Refuses to leave. Police called. Escorted out. Records reviewed. Identical sequence of events happened in Jan.

First 7 hrs have been a hoot. Will see if anything else fun rolls in during the last 2 hours of this shift.
 
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I think over the next two years we're going to see a lot of docs on the fence about retirement, career change, etc. exit the field.

Nurses have definitely banded together throughout history, and the pandemic is no exception. Between tons of nurses leaving jobs to be travel nurses, going to NP school online, quitting, etc., there is a nationwide severe nursing shortage. We are paying $10,000/week for nurses to travel across the city to work at our hospital, and nurses have left our hospital to work across the city doing travel assignments. It's robbing Peter to pay Paul, and the only ones winning are the nurses and the travel agents brokering them. They are earning a killing right now.

Texas introduced (and I think passed) legislation forbidding nurses from working travel assignments within the state if they live in the state. Not sure if it's legal/constitutional, but it's going to be enforced until challenged. Several other states are also looking at similar legislation.
That’s the very definition of antitrust in my opinion. Hopefully it is shot down quickly and when a vengeance. Especially in a state the size of Texas, which takes, what, 15 hours to drive across?
 
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I think over the next two years we're going to see a lot of docs on the fence about retirement, career change, etc. exit the field.

Nurses have definitely banded together throughout history, and the pandemic is no exception. Between tons of nurses leaving jobs to be travel nurses, going to NP school online, quitting, etc., there is a nationwide severe nursing shortage. We are paying $10,000/week for nurses to travel across the city to work at our hospital, and nurses have left our hospital to work across the city doing travel assignments. It's robbing Peter to pay Paul, and the only ones winning are the nurses and the travel agents brokering them. They are earning a killing right now.

Texas introduced (and I think passed) legislation forbidding nurses from working travel assignments within the state if they live in the state. Not sure if it's legal/constitutional, but it's going to be enforced until challenged. Several other states are also looking at similar legislation.


Unfortunately this legislation is just a band-aid. Travel nursing is a problem and is causing wage disparity. However, the real problem is nurses leaving to become NPs. At any given time, 1-2 nurses on my shifts ( I work with 5 nurses per shifts) are "studying" to become NPs. They can do while working full time so there's really no time commitment for them like med school. I don't see this hemorrhage of nurses stopping unless NP schools raise the barrier to entry for these programs.
 
1. 36yof, hx ovarian cyst, has ovarian cyst, dc.
2. 84yo, fell, Lefort I, new onset Afib, hgb 9, every family member is a nurse, pcp is a rock star, didn’t want to stay in hosp, dc.
3. 32yo knee pain since fall 3 weeks ago, x ray 3 weeks ago neg, gave PCP referral for PT/MRI, dc.
4. 41F, has covid, leg pain and sob , Doppler and CT chest neg, dc.
5. 46f covid+ wanted antibody , gave antibody and dc.
6. 45yoM covid+, hypoxic, admitted.
7/8. 55yo husband and wife , covid , declined antibody , dc.
9. 42f obese hgb a1c 14, hyperglycemia …? Gave fluids and insulin and Dc
10. 37m with small ouchie on finger , PA glued it , dc
11. 3yo hit head and now vomiting, CT neg, zofran worked , dc.
12. 17F flank pain, CT shows mesenteric Adenitis, dc.
13. 46f ab pain , acted like appy or PID (shuffle). CT neg for appy, dc. (PA asked me if we should work her up for PID. I said well it doesn’t look like she has any lady parts on her CT.. “well yeah she’s had TAHBSO….?” 🤦🏻‍♀️)
14. 50M stepped wrong off ladder , foot hurts , xray neg, dc.
15. 41 F CP, hx gerd, fam hx, no other risk factors , ekg and trop neg, dc.
16. 74f covid+ , wants antibody, antibody and dc.
17. 31F hand lac , PA sutured and dc.
18. 23F preg recent covid / new sore throat and cough, covid/rsv/flu/cxr neg, dc.
19. 19 M hit head ice skating on Saturday , it still hurts , dizzy. Ct neg, dc.
20. 36F, msk back pain, dc.
21. 25M covid, has dmII, antibody and dc.
22. 21’s 22yo GF, also has covid , antibody and dc.
23. 30yoF lac in an awkward place from some unconventional recreation .. wound care only, dc.
24. Covid exposure 62yo chemo, wants prophylactic antibody , given and dc.
25. 79F weak, dizzy, nauseated, off balance, headache, chest doesn’t feel right, etc .. signed out to my partner , as either “nothing, something or covid”. Survey says covid+ and Na 114.

This was at our freestanding minimal acuity covid bath site … though it’s nice to see people in rooms for a change !
 
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Here's my 9 hr shift

1. 19 yo F "swollen throat", SOB for 1 hr. EKG, CXR, normal throat exam, probably anxiety. DC
2. 55 yo M RUQ abd pain for 4 wks, seen already for this, prior CT demonstrates torn oblique muscle. Normal VS. Pt requesting US and labs. Sure, whatever. Told the nurse to make sure he does not waste a bed. Work up normal. DC'd.
3. 61 yo M w/ chronic LLE swelling from venous stasis. Wife wants him worked up for a DVT because swelling slightly worse even though saw vascular today who told them no DVT. Sure, whatever. Told nurse not to waste a bed on this guy. US negative. DC'd.
4. 65 yo M comes by EMS found down likely for days, no hx, EMS gave rocephin in route (why the f*** is this a thing?). They gave rocephin, but didn't intubate, see him rolling in from across the room, tell charge to call RT to intubate (driest mucous membranes I have ever seen. Literally got mucous dust on me while intubating him). They gave rocephin, but didn't reassess what was obviously a false reading based on how dead this guy looked. He's hypotensive rapid warmed IV fluids given along w/ levo prior to intubation. Skin cold af. Of course EMS gave him rocephin but didn't get a temp. Rectal temp 80F. Claim BP 180/120, no fluids given. Real BP is 70/30. Gave rocephin, but didn't perform an ECG. Wide complex, slow rhythm, clearly hyperkalemic from ARF and rhabdo. Shifting meds, calcium given. Lactic acid 18. Potassium 7.8. Cr 5. Pan Scan negative other than cirrhosis. Rpt K significantly improved. Temp up to 93F. Prior admissions for hepatic encephalopathy from alcoholic cirrhosis. Admitted for the inevitable organ donation.
5. 1 yo M who mom brought in because he has been supposedly crying for 1hr non-stop every 3 hrs for 3 weeks straight. Nearly called the mom a liar, but held my tongue. Performed a little benign neglect while dealing with #4. Mom left while waiting for me to "re-assess" kid.
6. #1 checks back in thinking she will get a new doctor, SURPRISE!! Says mom wants her to get a COVID test and strep swab when she has normal VS and normal pharyngeal exam. Tell her her mom can drive her to an urgent care in the morning. DC again.
7. 41 yo M gets sent from a psych facility for "abnormal labs" but don't tell EMS what the labs are, don't provide paperwork, and don't write down what the abnormal labs are. Call over there. Pt's nurse is clueless why he was sent here. Says the only lab abnormality is a CO2 of 18. Pt denies any complaints. Rpt cmp, completely normal. DC.
8. 60 yo M comes in for SI, says he is going to put his riding mower in his room, turn it on and go to sleep. Our psych social worker says he needs to be admitted for psych, but to admit him to medicine because he has chronic L sided hemiparesis from a prior stroke (although able to ride a riding lawnmower), "LOL, no". She then asks that I discharge the patient home if I won't admit medical, which I again laugh and tell her to call the on-call psychiatrist because this is ridiculous. Turns into a gigantic headache where the SW refuses to call the on-call psych to speak with me about the case and demands to me and the nurse we admit medical. I inform her she does not have a medical license and strongly encourage to call her on-call psychiatrist before I have to get admin involved. She apparently thought I was bluffing, so I called admin, documented all of our conversations regarding refusing to speak w/ psychiatrist. Admin got ahold of psychiatrist who accepted pt for psych admit. The day prior she had refused to talk to a psych patient because he was mean to her. I had to explain to her that this was her job and "pt being mean to me" is not an appropriate reason to not do your job, especially for a psych SW.
9. 21 yo F comes in for chest feeling "tingly". EKG. DC'd.
10. 16 yo M w/ IDD who threw a tantrum and some how that was enough for our police department to put him on emergency detention. Handed off to me by partner. Family, who initially called the police requesting to check him out as they don't think he is a threat to them which was PD's supposed reason for detaining him. Ripped up the emergency detention and DC'd.
11. 28 yo F ate some Ashwagandha herbal supplement a week ago. States she itches still. Benadryl. DC.
12. 61 yo M hx of MS, suprapubic catheter comes in septic. Temp 104F, HR 120, BP normal, WBC 17. UTI. ABX. Admit
13. 51 yo M swollen/painful testicle. US. Epididymitis. DC
14. 27 yo M ear pain for 3 wks. Already on PO and topical abx. Ear looks fine. F/u w/ ENT. DC.
15. 35 yo F "tongue swelling" for 2 days. No swelling. Movements of tongue normal. But pt clearly smells of alcohol and appears to be faking a speech impediment that spontaneously resolves intermittently. DC.
16. 29yo F w/ chronic abd pain. Claims she was dx'd w/ ureteral stone a few days ago and has hematuria and fever. VS are normal. Was at sister hospitals twice in the past week. Two negative CT a/p. Presents once a week for abd pain. Tell pt that she is lying to me and I can see her records from other facilities and tell her she will be DC'd.
 
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1. 19 yo F "swollen throat", SOB for 1 hr. EKG, CXR, normal throat exam, probably anxiety. DC
2. 55 yo M RUQ abd pain for 4 wks, seen already for this, prior CT demonstrates torn oblique muscle. Normal VS. Pt requesting US and labs. Sure, whatever. Told the nurse to make sure he does not waste a bed. Work up normal. DC'd.
3. 61 yo M w/ chronic LLE swelling from venous stasis. Wife wants him worked up for a DVT because swelling slightly worse even though saw vascular today who told them no DVT. Sure, whatever. Told nurse not to waste a bed on this guy. US negative. DC'd.
4. 65 yo M comes by EMS found down likely for days, no hx, EMS gave rocephin in route (why the f*** is this a thing?). Gave rocephin, but didn't intubate, see him rolling in from across the room, tell charge to call RT to intubate (driest mucous membranes I have ever seen. Literally got mucous dust on me while intubating him). Gave rocephin, but didn't reassess what was obviously a false reading based on how dead this guy looked. He's hypotensive rapid warmed IV fluids given along w/ levo prior to intubation. Skin cold af. Of course EMS gave him rocephin but didn't get a temp. Rectal temp 80F. Claim BP 180/120, no fluids given. Real BP is 70/30. Gave rocephin, but didn't perform an ECG. Wide complex, slow rhythm, clearly hyperkalemic from ARF and rhabdo. Shifting meds, calcium given. Lactic acid 18. Potassium 7.8. Cr 5. Pan Scan negative other than cirrhosis. Rpt K significantly improved. Temp up to 93F. Prior admissions for hepatic encephalopathy from alcoholic cirrhosis. Admitted for the inevitable organ donation.
5. 1 yo M who mom brought in because he has been supposedly crying for 1hr non-stop every 3 hrs for 3 weeks straight. Nearly called the mom a liar, but held my tongue. Performed a little benign neglect while dealing with #4. Mom left while waiting for me to "re-assess" kid.
6. #1 checks back in thinking she will get a new doctor, SURPRISE!! Says mom wants her to get a COVID test and strep swab when she has normal VS and normal pharyngeal exam. Tell her her mom can drive her to an urgent care in the morning. DC again.
7. 41 yo M gets sent from a psych facility for "abnormal labs" but don't tell EMS what the labs are, don't provide paperwork, and don't write down what the abnormal labs are. Call over there. Pt's nurse is clueless why he was sent here. Says the only lab abnormality is a CO2 of 18. Pt denies any complaints. Rpt cmp, completely normal. DC.
8. 60 yo M comes in for SI, says he is going to put his riding mower in his room, turn it on and go to sleep. Our psych social worker says he needs to be admitted for psych, but to admit him to medicine because he has chronic L sided hemiparesis from a prior stroke (although able to ride a riding lawnmower), "LOL, no". She then asks that I discharge the patient home if I won't admit medical, which I again laugh and tell her to call the on-call psychiatrist because this is ridiculous. Turns into a gigantic headache where the SW refuses to call the on-call psych to speak with me about the case and demands to me and the nurse we admit medical. I inform her she does not have a medical license and strongly encourage to call her on-call psychiatrist before I have to get admin involved. She apparently thought I was bluffing, so I called admin, documented all of our conversations regarding refusing to speak w/ psychiatrist. Admin got ahold of psychiatrist who accepted pt for psych admit. The day prior she had refused to talk to a psych patient because he was mean to her. I had to explain to her that this was her job and "pt being mean to me" is not an appropriate reason to not do your job, especially for a psych SW.
9. 21 yo F comes in for chest feeling "tingly". EKG. DC'd.
10. 16 yo M w/ IDD who threw a tantrum and some how that was enough for our police department to put him on emergency detention. Handed off to me by partner. Family, who initially called the police requesting to check him out as they don't think he is a threat to them which was PD's supposed reason for detaining him. Ripped up the emergency detention and DC'd.
11. 28 yo F ate some Ashwagandha herbal supplement a week ago. States she itches still. Benadryl. DC.
12. 61 yo M hx of MS, suprapubic catheter comes in septic. Temp 104F, HR 120, BP normal, WBC 17. UTI. ABX. Admit
13. 51 yo M swollen/painful testicle. US. Epididymitis. DC
14. 27 yo M ear pain for 3 wks. Already on PO and topical abx. Ear looks fine. F/u w/ ENT. DC.
15. 35 yo F "tongue swelling" for 2 days. No swelling. Movements of tongue normal. But pt clearly smells of alcohol and appears to be faking a speech impediment that spontaneously resolves intermittently. DC.
16. 29yo F w/ chronic abd pain. Claims she was dx'd w/ ureteral stone a few days ago and has hematuria and fever. VS are normal. Was at sister hospitals twice in the past week. Two negative CT a/p. Presents once a week for abd pain. Tell pt that she is lying to me and I can see her records from other facilities and tell her she will be DC'd.
LOL at 6 and 8.

Plus, edit:

This is such an amazing encapsulation of the average community EM shift, a few people who really need help (4,8,12). A bit of people with decent acute complaints (13). And so so much psych nonsense, worried well, malingering etc. Great for the students to get to read stuff this before choosing this field.
 
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Here's my 9 hr shift

1. 19 yo F "swollen throat", SOB for 1 hr. EKG, CXR, normal throat exam, probably anxiety. DC
2. 55 yo M RUQ abd pain for 4 wks, seen already for this, prior CT demonstrates torn oblique muscle. Normal VS. Pt requesting US and labs. Sure, whatever. Told the nurse to make sure he does not waste a bed. Work up normal. DC'd.
3. 61 yo M w/ chronic LLE swelling from venous stasis. Wife wants him worked up for a DVT because swelling slightly worse even though saw vascular today who told them no DVT. Sure, whatever. Told nurse not to waste a bed on this guy. US negative. DC'd.
4. 65 yo M comes by EMS found down likely for days, no hx, EMS gave rocephin in route (why the f*** is this a thing?). They gave rocephin, but didn't intubate, see him rolling in from across the room, tell charge to call RT to intubate (driest mucous membranes I have ever seen. Literally got mucous dust on me while intubating him). They gave rocephin, but didn't reassess what was obviously a false reading based on how dead this guy looked. He's hypotensive rapid warmed IV fluids given along w/ levo prior to intubation. Skin cold af. Of course EMS gave him rocephin but didn't get a temp. Rectal temp 80F. Claim BP 180/120, no fluids given. Real BP is 70/30. Gave rocephin, but didn't perform an ECG. Wide complex, slow rhythm, clearly hyperkalemic from ARF and rhabdo. Shifting meds, calcium given. Lactic acid 18. Potassium 7.8. Cr 5. Pan Scan negative other than cirrhosis. Rpt K significantly improved. Temp up to 93F. Prior admissions for hepatic encephalopathy from alcoholic cirrhosis. Admitted for the inevitable organ donation.
5. 1 yo M who mom brought in because he has been supposedly crying for 1hr non-stop every 3 hrs for 3 weeks straight. Nearly called the mom a liar, but held my tongue. Performed a little benign neglect while dealing with #4. Mom left while waiting for me to "re-assess" kid.
6. #1 checks back in thinking she will get a new doctor, SURPRISE!! Says mom wants her to get a COVID test and strep swab when she has normal VS and normal pharyngeal exam. Tell her her mom can drive her to an urgent care in the morning. DC again.
7. 41 yo M gets sent from a psych facility for "abnormal labs" but don't tell EMS what the labs are, don't provide paperwork, and don't write down what the abnormal labs are. Call over there. Pt's nurse is clueless why he was sent here. Says the only lab abnormality is a CO2 of 18. Pt denies any complaints. Rpt cmp, completely normal. DC.
8. 60 yo M comes in for SI, says he is going to put his riding mower in his room, turn it on and go to sleep. Our psych social worker says he needs to be admitted for psych, but to admit him to medicine because he has chronic L sided hemiparesis from a prior stroke (although able to ride a riding lawnmower), "LOL, no". She then asks that I discharge the patient home if I won't admit medical, which I again laugh and tell her to call the on-call psychiatrist because this is ridiculous. Turns into a gigantic headache where the SW refuses to call the on-call psych to speak with me about the case and demands to me and the nurse we admit medical. I inform her she does not have a medical license and strongly encourage to call her on-call psychiatrist before I have to get admin involved. She apparently thought I was bluffing, so I called admin, documented all of our conversations regarding refusing to speak w/ psychiatrist. Admin got ahold of psychiatrist who accepted pt for psych admit. The day prior she had refused to talk to a psych patient because he was mean to her. I had to explain to her that this was her job and "pt being mean to me" is not an appropriate reason to not do your job, especially for a psych SW.
9. 21 yo F comes in for chest feeling "tingly". EKG. DC'd.
10. 16 yo M w/ IDD who threw a tantrum and some how that was enough for our police department to put him on emergency detention. Handed off to me by partner. Family, who initially called the police requesting to check him out as they don't think he is a threat to them which was PD's supposed reason for detaining him. Ripped up the emergency detention and DC'd.
11. 28 yo F ate some Ashwagandha herbal supplement a week ago. States she itches still. Benadryl. DC.
12. 61 yo M hx of MS, suprapubic catheter comes in septic. Temp 104F, HR 120, BP normal, WBC 17. UTI. ABX. Admit
13. 51 yo M swollen/painful testicle. US. Epididymitis. DC
14. 27 yo M ear pain for 3 wks. Already on PO and topical abx. Ear looks fine. F/u w/ ENT. DC.
15. 35 yo F "tongue swelling" for 2 days. No swelling. Movements of tongue normal. But pt clearly smells of alcohol and appears to be faking a speech impediment that spontaneously resolves intermittently. DC.
16. 29yo F w/ chronic abd pain. Claims she was dx'd w/ ureteral stone a few days ago and has hematuria and fever. VS are normal. Was at sister hospitals twice in the past week. Two negative CT a/p. Presents once a week for abd pain. Tell pt that she is lying to me and I can see her records from other facilities and tell her she will be DC'd.

God this was so funny. And sad at times. It’s like a comedy, rotating between the legitimately sick and the pathetically forlorned.
 
LOL at 6 and 8.

Plus, edit:

This is such an amazing encapsulation of the average community EM shift, a few people who really need help (4,8,12). A bit of people with decent acute complaints (13). And so so much psych nonsense, worried well, malingering etc. Great for the students to get to read stuff this before choosing this field.

Yea and it’s not even clear that zebra even enjoyed anything in this shift. You do get sick people in the ED, but a lot of it is like “meh” or you don’t care about them because you are saving the bedbound catheter dependent tragically sick MS pt.
 
Yea and it’s not even clear that zebra even enjoyed anything in this shift. You do get sick people in the ED, but a lot of it is like “meh” or you don’t care about them because you are saving the bedbound catheter dependent tragically sick MS pt.
Between intubating a cadaver/re-warming a corpse and "saving" a septic, bed-bound, contracted NH patients, or having to fight against someone who is just refusing to do their job for an actively suicidal patient who needs their help, coupled with the absolutely absurd complaints, no I enjoyed nothing about that shift.

Although that's slightly a lie, I actually did enjoy the surprised look on #1/#6 face as she saw me walking over to her for the second time. She let out a surprised "oh" and then put her head down in dejection. Also enjoyed watching #16 squirm as I said "...so I reviewed your imaging and notes from your visits to our sister hospitals on Wednesday and Friday..." and her lack of will to fight when I told her that because she lied to me and her VS are normal, and is presenting for the same issues she has been seen for 20 times in the last 4 months, I am going to discharge her immediately and she will not be receiving any pain meds.
 
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Between intubating a cadaver/re-warming a corpse and "saving" a septic, bed-bound, contracted NH patients, or having to fight against someone who is just refusing to do their job for an actively suicidal patient who needs their help, coupled with the absolutely absurd complaints, no I enjoyed nothing about that shift.

Although that's slightly a lie, I actually did enjoy the surprised look on #1/#6 face as she saw me walking over to her for the second time. She let out a surprised "oh" and then put her head down in dejection. Also enjoyed watching #16 squirm as I said "...so I reviewed your imaging and notes from your visits to our sister hospitals on Wednesday and Friday..." and her lack of will to fight when I told her that because she lied to me and her VS are normal, and is presenting for the same issues she has been seen for 20 times in the last 4 months, I am going to discharge her immediately and she will not be receiving any pain meds.
In my head when I get one of those I think “checkmate!” It is one of the best part of annoying frequent flyers, if there is such a thing…
 
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Saw a 31 yo today who "coughs every time she smokes"

Came to a hospital. for this.

Was irate when I told her she needed to stop smoking.

I hate people.
 
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My 8hr shift at my tertiary care hospital.

1 & 2: 21 & 25 yo couple check in for nasal congestion. Immediate DC
3 & 4: 26 & 28 yo couple check in for COVID and want a CXR to see if they have pneumonia. Immediate DC.
5: 51 yo F COVID+ has a cough, and check my ears, check my tonsils, check my feet, check this weird rash, check my scalp, and check my..."Ma'am go see you PCP for this, you're being discharged". Immediate DC.
6: 43 yo F presents for sinus pressure and runny nose for 5 days. Already had outpatient COVID tests that were negative. Normal VS. Inform Pt of symptomatic care at home and no need for further work up. Patients begins yelling at me, threatening to sue for not getting a CXR on her because “what if the sinus infection is in my lungs?” “It’s not, and good luck suing me for your sniffles.” Immediate DC.
7: 27 yo M presents for dizziness after coughing fit. Been coughing for 2 wks. Refusing to talk to me because he is too weak. Can overhear him talking fine with girlfriend when I walk out. Refusing to walk. Labs, CXR all normal. Now he can talk, but refuses to talk above a whisper. DC.
8. 34 yo F COVID+ presents for cough. Immediate DC.
9. 19 yo F epigastric pain. Cholelithiasis. DC.
10. 19 yo F L ear pain for 1 hour. Ear is normal. Immediate DC.
11. 32 yo F b/l hand pain, says it's an allergic reaction and has been going on for years and no one can figure it out. Here's some toradol. Immediate DC.

ALL THE ABOVE WERE SEEN AND DISPO'D IN THE FIRST 2 HOURS OF MY SHIFT, rest of my shift was very slow.

12. 80 something yo M hand off for "heart failure exacerbation", just waiting on labs, "lab keeps asking for redraws". Go see the patient and he is pale as a ghost. Call lab to result the labs because they are real. He had labs drawn 4 times by that point "because the samples are diluted", Hgb of 2.7, lactic acid of 8.9, Cr of 4, melena for a month. Admitted to ICU.
13. 28 yo F 2wks s/p gastric sleeve w/ epigastric pain. CT a/p PO&IV contrast negative. Labs remarkable only for bicarb of 17. Surgeon wants her admitted. Whatever, admit.
14. 39 yo F fever, SOB, chest pain. Temp of 100.5, rest of VS normal. CXR read as likely COVID pna. CXR looks absolutely nothing like COVID pna with multiple bilateral nodular infiltrates. Thinking septic emboli, as this would probably have been the 4th or 5th time my radiologists have missed very well circumscribed infiltrates that have all ended up being septic emboli from tricuspid endocarditis. Get CT chest. CT chest impression is "Multiple bilateral nodular groundglass opacities consistent with viral pneumonia", but the radiologist hides in his gigantic wall of text "Suspect viral pneumonia, however, unable to rule out septic emboli". Pt otherwise looks well, labs remarkable only for leukopenia with a WBC 2.5. She has no risk factors for endocarditis, radiologist probably is right that this is viral PNA, especially with the leukopenia, but I decide to play it safe and admit for observation.

BONUS PATIENT: Get a call from an NP at a rural ER who say she wants to transfer a "posterior nose bleed" that has been bleeding for 2 wks. "We don't have the anterior-posterior rhinorocket".

"Did you try just a regular anterior rhinorocket?"

"No, we don't have that. We tried afrin, pressure, nasal tampon and he keeps bleeding."

"Fine, send him."

Pt arrives with anterior rhinorocket in place, apparently they did have one, and bleeding stopped after it was placed. Pt has no active bleeding. My colleague sees the patient and immediately discharges him to figure how the hell he is going to make it back home which is 2 hours away.

...I need a new job
 
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My 8hr shift at my tertiary care hospital.

1 & 2: 21 & 25 yo couple check in for nasal congestion. Immediate DC
3 & 4: 26 & 28 yo couple check in for COVID and want a CXR to see if they have pneumonia. Immediate DC.
5: 51 yo F COVID+ has a cough, and check my ears, check my tonsils, check my feet, check this weird rash, check my scalp, and check my..."Ma'am go see you PCP for this, you're being discharged". Immediate DC.
6: 43 yo F presents for sinus pressure and runny nose for 5 days. Already had outpatient COVID tests that were negative. Normal VS. Inform Pt of symptomatic care at home and no need for further work up. Patients begins yelling at me, threatening to sue for not getting a CXR on her because “what if the sinus infection is in my lungs?” “It’s not, and good luck suing me for your sniffles.” Immediate DC.
7: 27 yo M presents for dizziness after coughing fit. Been coughing for 2 wks. Refusing to talk to me because he is too weak. Can overhear him talking fine with girlfriend when I walk out. Refusing to walk. Labs, CXR all normal. Now he can talk, but refuses to talk above a whisper. DC.
8. 34 yo F COVID+ presents for cough. Immediate DC.
9. 19 yo F epigastric pain. Cholelithiasis. DC.
10. 19 yo F L ear pain for 1 hour. Ear is normal. Immediate DC.
11. 32 yo F b/l hand pain, says it's an allergic reaction and has been going on for years and no one can figure it out. Here's some toradol. Immediate DC.

ALL THE ABOVE WERE SEEN AND DISPO'D IN THE FIRST 2 HOURS OF MY SHIFT, rest of my shift was very slow.

12. 80 something yo M hand off for "heart failure exacerbation", just waiting on labs, "lab keeps asking for redraws". Go see the patient and he is pale as a ghost. Call lab to result the labs because they are real. He had labs drawn 4 times by that point "because the samples are diluted", Hgb of 2.7, lactic acid of 8.9, Cr of 4, melena for a month. Admitted to ICU.
13. 28 yo F 2wks s/p gastric sleeve w/ epigastric pain. CT a/p PO&IV contrast negative. Labs remarkable only for bicarb of 17. Surgeon wants her admitted. Whatever, admit.
14. 39 yo F fever, SOB, chest pain. Temp of 100.5, rest of VS normal. CXR read as likely COVID pna. CXR looks absolutely nothing like COVID pna with multiple bilateral nodular infiltrates. Thinking septic emboli, as this would probably have been the 4th or 5th time my radiologists have missed very well circumscribed infiltrates that have all ended up being septic emboli from tricuspid endocarditis. Get CT chest. CT chest impression is "Multiple bilateral nodular groundglass opacities consistent with viral pneumonia", but the radiologist hides in his gigantic wall of text "Suspect viral pneumonia, however, unable to rule out septic emboli". Pt otherwise looks well, labs remarkable only for leukopenia with a WBC 2.5. She has no risk factors for endocarditis, radiologist probably is right that this is viral PNA, especially with the leukopenia, but I decide to play it safe and admit for observation.

BONUS PATIENT: Get a call from an NP at a rural ER who say she wants to transfer a "posterior nose bleed" that has been bleeding for 2 wks. "We don't have the anterior-posterior rhinorocket".

"Did you try just a regular anterior rhinorocket?"

"No, we don't have that. We tried afrin, pressure, nasal tampon and he keeps bleeding."

"Fine, send him."

Pt arrives with anterior rhinorocket in place, apparently they did have one, and bleeding stopped after it was placed. Pt has no active bleeding. My colleague sees the patient and immediately discharges him to figure how the hell he is going to make it back home which is 2 hours away.

...I need a new j
My 8hr shift at my tertiary care hospital.

1 & 2: 21 & 25 yo couple check in for nasal congestion. Immediate DC
3 & 4: 26 & 28 yo couple check in for COVID and want a CXR to see if they have pneumonia. Immediate DC.
5: 51 yo F COVID+ has a cough, and check my ears, check my tonsils, check my feet, check this weird rash, check my scalp, and check my..."Ma'am go see you PCP for this, you're being discharged". Immediate DC.
6: 43 yo F presents for sinus pressure and runny nose for 5 days. Already had outpatient COVID tests that were negative. Normal VS. Inform Pt of symptomatic care at home and no need for further work up. Patients begins yelling at me, threatening to sue for not getting a CXR on her because “what if the sinus infection is in my lungs?” “It’s not, and good luck suing me for your sniffles.” Immediate DC.
7: 27 yo M presents for dizziness after coughing fit. Been coughing for 2 wks. Refusing to talk to me because he is too weak. Can overhear him talking fine with girlfriend when I walk out. Refusing to walk. Labs, CXR all normal. Now he can talk, but refuses to talk above a whisper. DC.
8. 34 yo F COVID+ presents for cough. Immediate DC.
9. 19 yo F epigastric pain. Cholelithiasis. DC.
10. 19 yo F L ear pain for 1 hour. Ear is normal. Immediate DC.
11. 32 yo F b/l hand pain, says it's an allergic reaction and has been going on for years and no one can figure it out. Here's some toradol. Immediate DC.

ALL THE ABOVE WERE SEEN AND DISPO'D IN THE FIRST 2 HOURS OF MY SHIFT, rest of my shift was very slow.

12. 80 something yo M hand off for "heart failure exacerbation", just waiting on labs, "lab keeps asking for redraws". Go see the patient and he is pale as a ghost. Call lab to result the labs because they are real. He had labs drawn 4 times by that point "because the samples are diluted", Hgb of 2.7, lactic acid of 8.9, Cr of 4, melena for a month. Admitted to ICU.
13. 28 yo F 2wks s/p gastric sleeve w/ epigastric pain. CT a/p PO&IV contrast negative. Labs remarkable only for bicarb of 17. Surgeon wants her admitted. Whatever, admit.
14. 39 yo F fever, SOB, chest pain. Temp of 100.5, rest of VS normal. CXR read as likely COVID pna. CXR looks absolutely nothing like COVID pna with multiple bilateral nodular infiltrates. Thinking septic emboli, as this would probably have been the 4th or 5th time my radiologists have missed very well circumscribed infiltrates that have all ended up being septic emboli from tricuspid endocarditis. Get CT chest. CT chest impression is "Multiple bilateral nodular groundglass opacities consistent with viral pneumonia", but the radiologist hides in his gigantic wall of text "Suspect viral pneumonia, however, unable to rule out septic emboli". Pt otherwise looks well, labs remarkable only for leukopenia with a WBC 2.5. She has no risk factors for endocarditis, radiologist probably is right that this is viral PNA, especially with the leukopenia, but I decide to play it safe and admit for observation.

BONUS PATIENT: Get a call from an NP at a rural ER who say she wants to transfer a "posterior nose bleed" that has been bleeding for 2 wks. "We don't have the anterior-posterior rhinorocket".

"Did you try just a regular anterior rhinorocket?"

"No, we don't have that. We tried afrin, pressure, nasal tampon and he keeps bleeding."

"Fine, send him."

Pt arrives with anterior rhinorocket in place, apparently they did have one, and bleeding stopped after it was placed. Pt has no active bleeding. My colleague sees the patient and immediately discharges him to figure how the hell he is going to make it back home which is 2 hours away.

...I need a new job
Why does lab always think the labs are “diluted” when some things are really low but some things are really high? Drives me nuts. Ok did the dilution cause the lactic of 9 also? 🤦🏻‍♀️
 
Small community hospital in large city
1 54F body aches. Labs normal, fibro flare. DC home
2. 44 yo M Left hand injury with 3rd metacarpal fracture and 4th distal tuft fracture. Multiple lacerations requiring repair. DC with hand f/u
3 94 yo M fall w/ head injury. CT head/neck neg DC home
4 54 yo F COVID+ IDDM wants antibodies. ABs Given and DC
5 29 yo M +home COVID test today, came in for cough VS normal. DC
6 65 yo F 1 week of HA, chills and generalized weakness, now with dizziness. Work-up normal except for Flu A+ DC
7 59 yo seen 2 days ago and diagnosed with flu returns with SOB. vitals normal. DC home
8 40 yo F COVID + and just left AMA from upstairs 2 hours prior. She return because she couldn't breathe and O2 was 74% on RA. fine on 6L, Re-admitted
9 26yo F abd pain. exam unremarkable and labs normal. DC
10 63yo F anxiety and some passive SI. Cleared by psych and DC home
11 24 yo F cat bite to hand. DC home w/ Augmentin
12 39 yo F brought in by ambo with 4 hours of vomiting and now CP. Smokes weed daily. Feels better with Droperidol and fluids. DC home
13 73 yo F brought in by ambulance after she scratched her leg and varicose vein started bleeding. Bleeding had stopped when I saw her. DC home
14 20 yo F fever, sore throat body aches. Flu A +. DC home
15 84 yo M with abd pain. Labs normal. CT with focal area of thickening of the colon concerning for obstructive mass. Transfer to center with oncology
16 78 yo F with N/V/D, just discharged from hospital down the street for C. Diff and is on PO vancomycin. Why EMS brought here I have no idea. Labs show AKI. Pending transfer back to previous hospital
17 8 yo M with croup, stridor at rest. Improved with racemic Epi and Decadron DC home
18 37 yo M with flank pain and hematuria h/o renal stone 5 years ago. Wife is one of our charge nurses. UA and CT pending. Handed off to oncoming doc.
 
Nurses pulled a genius level move during COVID. They banded together, said F*** THIS (appropriately so), and walked out.

Why didn't physicians do the same? We had a golden ticket opportunity, and still do TBH.

Our messed up sense of altruism certainly contributes.

However, more likely it's Physicians' complete lack of ability to reasonably manage their personal finances. Just in my shop there's:

1) Doc with ridiculous 6k+ sqft mansion, 4 kids, in high prop tax city
2) Doc with kids in ridiculous private colleges, high expense hobbies for the kids
3) Doc w 4 kids, all in private primary school despite living in high tax state
4) Doc w Tesla SUV
5) Multiple docs that should be retired, but still supporting grown ass adult children

These people won't walk out because they can't go 2 weeks without a check.
 
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1) Kidney stone stuck at tip of penis. Could grab it with forceps but it won’t come out. Called uro who pushed it back into the bladder with a foley. DC w/clinic FU.

On this kidney stone...
Would you consider crushing/breaking the stone with the forceps to allow it to come out in smaller fragments?
(We dentist section/fracture teeth regularly to get them to fit though a small opening.)
 
On this kidney stone...
Would you consider crushing/breaking the stone with the forceps to allow it to come out in smaller fragments?
(We dentist section/fracture teeth regularly to get them to fit though a small opening.)
I recall two cases. One, the uro came in and broke it up, after I, too, could grab it with the forceps, but, that was it. The other, I heard second hand, but, the nurse said the uro came to the ED, and the "crunch" she heard as the uro squished this guy's junk was somewhere between "nauseating" and "horrifying".
 
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The rolleyes emoji can't be big enough for this.

"Siri, why is American healthcare spending spiralling out of control with no overall change in outcomes?"
Sadly I’m excited our state public health dept has backed off on antibody eligibility… two days after this shift they changed the criteria again, decided that healthy 22yo’s with BMI 27 probably doesn’t need it. Prior to this the criteria was BMI 25.. come on.
 
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We can't even refer for MAB anymore, because neither Regeneron or Eli Lilly works for Omicron, and the GlaxoSmithKline MAB (the only one that has effect on omicron) is in severe shortage. I'm not even sure how people are even have enough to be giving this willy nilly in the ED.
 
12. 80 something yo M hand off for "heart failure exacerbation", just waiting on labs, "lab keeps asking for redraws". Go see the patient and he is pale as a ghost. Call lab to result the labs because they are real. He had labs drawn 4 times by that point "because the samples are diluted", Hgb of 2.7, lactic acid of 8.9, Cr of 4, melena for a month. Admitted to ICU.

I had a similar case. Encephalopathic lady. Disaster from St Elsewhere. Had been NPO for a SBO. Pathology cancelled three times. "Seems incompatible with life." I walked the fourth sample to the POC VBG machine and ran it myself. Serum sodium of 191!

Turns out she had been on lithium for 50 years and had undiagnosed nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.
 
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Christmas Eve: 8ish hour shift- attending said "Merry Christmas and go home"

1) 41M. Crystal Methodist alleging palpitations. Had been seen, complete negative work up, and D/C'd less than 8 hours earlier. No change since leaving. DC

2) 60F. Altered LOC from local Psych facility. No one bothered to read her paperwork. Was at baseline status from every record from every facility. Worked up again and DC back to facility (only to bounce back again to me this shift. Now psych facility says"we can't care for her".)

3) 55M. Left hand swelling from glass and Ditch Witch usage. Septic. Flexor, Extensor, and Carpal Tunnel Tenosynovitis. Straight to OR and admit to hand surgery. Cultures grew out Group A Strep today.

4) 71F. Unresponsive. Seizure vs. Stroke. pH of 7.07 with PCO2 of 68. Intubated. Admit ICU

5) 78F. Right arm Paresthesias and Weakness X12 hrs. NIH 2. Admit for Stroke workup

6) 57F. Profoundly developmentally disabled with likely breakthrough focal seizures. Strong as an 18 y/o on meth. Had to trap her arm between my knees like a farrier to start an ultrasound IV and draw blood. Admit hospitalist w/Neuro consult

7) 66F. Comes in by air with complete Hemiparesis, aphasia, etc. NIH 25. LKN was at least 12 Hours before. Equivocal CT Head. Blows IV during angiogram. Neurosurgery already planning intervention prior to angiograms. New IV and has LVO on angiograms and perfusion. Gets mechanical thrombectomy and admit to ICU
 
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Christmas Eve: 8ish hour shift- attending said "Merry Christmas and go home"

1) 41M. Crystal Methodist alleging palpitations. Had been seen, complete negative work up, and D/C'd less than 8 hours earlier. No change since leaving. DC

2) 60F. Altered LOC from local Psych facility. No one bothered to read her paperwork. Was at baseline status from every record from every facility. Worked up again and DC back to facility (only to bounce back again to me this shift. Now psych facility says"we can't care for her".)

3) 55M. Left hand swelling from glass and Ditch Witch usage. Septic. Flexor, Extensor, and Carpal Tunnel Tenosynovitis. Straight to OR and admit to hand surgery. Cultures grew out Group A Strep today.

4) 71F. Unresponsive. Seizure vs. Stroke. pH of 7.07 with PCO2 of 68. Intubated. Admit ICU

5) 78F. Right arm Paresthesias and Weakness X12 hrs. NIH 2. Admit for Stroke workup

6) 57F. Profoundly developmentally disabled with likely breakthrough focal seizures. Strong as an 18 y/o on meth. Had to trap her arm between my knees like a farrier to start an ultrasound IV and draw blood. Admit hospitalist w/Neuro consult

7) 66F. Comes in by air with complete Hemiparesis, aphasia, etc. NIH 25. LKN was at least 12 Hours before. Equivocal CT Head. Blows IV during angiogram. Neurosurgery already planning intervention prior to angiograms. New IV and has LVO on angiograms and perfusion. Gets mechanical thrombectomy and admit to ICU
Not bad. 2 pure bs cases and the rest sound legit.
 
3) 55M. Left hand swelling from glass and Ditch Witch usage. Septic. Flexor, Extensor, and Carpal Tunnel Tenosynovitis. Straight to OR and admit to hand surgery. Cultures grew out Group A Strep today.
I got the farrier thing. I need this one explained though. Google tells me that a ditch witch is a trencher. Are you saying this guy got glass in his hand while using a ditch witch? Confused.
 
.... Crystal ... Methodist ... ??

Play on Words. Prefers crystal meth as his drug of choice
I got the farrier thing. I need this one explained though. Google tells me that a ditch witch is a trencher. Are you saying this guy got glass in his hand while using a ditch witch? Confused.
He had gotten glass in his hand prior to use of it, dug it out and went to work.
 
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Christmas Eve: 8ish hour shift- attending said "Merry Christmas and go home"

1) 41M. Crystal Methodist alleging palpitations. Had been seen, complete negative work up, and D/C'd less than 8 hours earlier. No change since leaving. DC

2) 60F. Altered LOC from local Psych facility. No one bothered to read her paperwork. Was at baseline status from every record from every facility. Worked up again and DC back to facility (only to bounce back again to me this shift. Now psych facility says"we can't care for her".)

3) 55M. Left hand swelling from glass and Ditch Witch usage. Septic. Flexor, Extensor, and Carpal Tunnel Tenosynovitis. Straight to OR and admit to hand surgery. Cultures grew out Group A Strep today.

4) 71F. Unresponsive. Seizure vs. Stroke. pH of 7.07 with PCO2 of 68. Intubated. Admit ICU

5) 78F. Right arm Paresthesias and Weakness X12 hrs. NIH 2. Admit for Stroke workup

6) 57F. Profoundly developmentally disabled with likely breakthrough focal seizures. Strong as an 18 y/o on meth. Had to trap her arm between my knees like a farrier to start an ultrasound IV and draw blood. Admit hospitalist w/Neuro consult

7) 66F. Comes in by air with complete Hemiparesis, aphasia, etc. NIH 25. LKN was at least 12 Hours before. Equivocal CT Head. Blows IV during angiogram. Neurosurgery already planning intervention prior to angiograms. New IV and has LVO on angiograms and perfusion. Gets mechanical thrombectomy and admit to ICU
There are many things making want to quit these days but situations like 2) are high on the list. The group homes near my hospital are a never ending source of torture.
 
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Here you go ... a day shift (8a-4p) from New Zealand! Daily volume ~330 pts, I was the consultant supervising one of the three zones in the ED, one of two "monitored" pods of ~20 beds and 3 resuscitation bays with a team of 2 to 4 trainees (1 had to leave mid-shift d/t family emergency).

Handover
38 y/o paresthesia awaiting neurology consult, d/c
82 y/o undifferentiated abdominal pain, CT nondiagnostic, d/c
14 y/o escalating pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding, admit gynae
2 y/o unexplained hypoglycemia and ketosis in mild illness, admit peds obs

New Pts
77 y/o COPD family concerns over self-care, no indication for admission, d/c
79 y/o COPD and HF, grossly fluid overloaded, admit medicine
88 y/o pneumonia and delirium, admit medicine
73 y/o COPD and HF, improved, mild fluid overload, trial of outpatient diuretic, d/c [my patient]
39 y/o paroxysmal AF with RVR, rate control, d/c with cards f/u
81 y/o recent EVAR new leg swelling, U/S eval pseudoaneurysm -> seroma, d/c [my patient]
54 y/o 2:1 Aflutter, on sotalol, cards consult: sedation, DC cardioversion, d/c [my patient]
66 y/o renal transplant/BKA/SPC fever likely UTI, admit medicine
89 y/o chest pain/RUQ pain, labs normal, pain gone, d/c
71 y/o first seizure, CT head negative, remained altered, admit neurology
84 y/o likely diverticular bleed on clopidogrel, stable, admit surgery
41 y/o STEMI call from field, ECG normal, troponin normal, d/c [my patient]
54 y/o atraumatic knee pain, gout, d/c
74 y/o COPD exacerbation, improved, d/c
55 y/o chest pain, flank pain, back pain, UTI, d/c
82 y/o chest pain 8 hours PTA, troponin undetectable, d/c [my patient]
42 y/o transfer 20% 2nd degree burns, admit
76 y/o diarrhea and neutropenia on chemo, admit oncology
29 y/o DM1 feeling vaguely unwell, IVF, no objective findings, d/c
25 y/o cyclic vomiting, d/c
91 y/o abdominal pain 1 week after hemicolectomy, admit surgery
81 y/o prostate CA, obstructive lymphedema, AKI, admit oncology
89 y/o knee gave way, fall, no injury or objective findings, d/c
46 y/o atypical chest pain, d/c
79 y/o new onset afib RVR, rate control, d/c with cards f/u
24 y/o abdominal pain, biliary colic, not settling, admit surgery
65 y/o infective bronchiectasis, admit respiratory
72 y/o neutropenic fever, admit oncology
68 y/o isolated open tib/fib motorcycle accident, admit orthopedics
41 y/o neutropenic fever, admit oncology
20 y/o dysfunctional uterine bleeding, d/c
74 y/o afib AKI, anasarca, severe sepsis, DNR, admit medicine [my patient]
31 y/o gastroenteritis, d/c
57 y/o pelvic pain, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, d/c
72 y/o atraumatic foot pain, found hypoxic, new severe anemia, admit medicine
51 y/o COPD exacerbation, d/c
 
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Here you go ... a day shift (8a-4p) from New Zealand! Daily volume ~330 pts, I was the consultant supervising one of the three zones in the ED, one of two "monitored" pods of ~20 beds and 3 resuscitation bays with a team of 2 to 4 trainees (1 had to leave mid-shift d/t family emergency).

Handover
38 y/o paresthesia awaiting neurology consult, d/c
82 y/o undifferentiated abdominal pain, CT nondiagnostic, d/c
14 y/o escalating pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding, admit gynae
2 y/o unexplained hypoglycemia and ketosis in mild illness, admit peds obs

New Pts
77 y/o COPD family concerns over self-care, no indication for admission, d/c
79 y/o COPD and HF, grossly fluid overloaded, admit medicine
88 y/o pneumonia and delirium, admit medicine
73 y/o COPD and HF, improved, mild fluid overload, trial of outpatient diuretic, d/c [my patient]
39 y/o paroxysmal AF with RVR, rate control, d/c with cards f/u
81 y/o recent EVAR new leg swelling, U/S eval pseudoaneurysm -> seroma, d/c [my patient]
54 y/o 2:1 Aflutter, on sotalol, cards consult: sedation, DC cardioversion, d/c [my patient]
66 y/o renal transplant/BKA/SPC fever likely UTI, admit medicine
89 y/o chest pain/RUQ pain, labs normal, pain gone, d/c
71 y/o first seizure, CT head negative, remained altered, admit neurology
84 y/o likely diverticular bleed on clopidogrel, stable, admit surgery
41 y/o STEMI call from field, ECG normal, troponin normal, d/c [my patient]
54 y/o atraumatic knee pain, gout, d/c
74 y/o COPD exacerbation, improved, d/c
55 y/o chest pain, flank pain, back pain, UTI, d/c
82 y/o chest pain 8 hours PTA, troponin undetectable, d/c [my patient]
42 y/o transfer 20% 2nd degree burns, admit
76 y/o diarrhea and neutropenia on chemo, admit oncology
29 y/o DM1 feeling vaguely unwell, IVF, no objective findings, d/c
25 y/o cyclic vomiting, d/c
91 y/o abdominal pain 1 week after hemicolectomy, admit surgery
81 y/o prostate CA, obstructive lymphedema, AKI, admit oncology
89 y/o knee gave way, fall, no injury or objective findings, d/c
46 y/o atypical chest pain, d/c
79 y/o new onset afib RVR, rate control, d/c with cards f/u
24 y/o abdominal pain, biliary colic, not settling, admit surgery
65 y/o infective bronchiectasis, admit respiratory
72 y/o neutropenic fever, admit oncology
68 y/o isolated open tib/fib motorcycle accident, admit orthopedics
41 y/o neutropenic fever, admit oncology
20 y/o dysfunctional uterine bleeding, d/c
74 y/o afib AKI, anasarca, severe sepsis, DNR, admit medicine [my patient]
31 y/o gastroenteritis, d/c
57 y/o pelvic pain, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, d/c
72 y/o atraumatic foot pain, found hypoxic, new severe anemia, admit medicine
51 y/o COPD exacerbation, d/c

A few observations.

When I learned you are in NZ, and I saw your list, I was thinking that you would have more of a proper ER experience than what we have in the US. But it turns out...most of the pts above probably didn't need "ER" services to begin with.

What I like is that you guys seemingly admit a diagnosis to the specialty that takes care of it.
Open Fx? ---> admit to Ortho
Neutropenic Fever? ---> admit to Oncology
Uterine bleeding? ---> admit to Gyne
Pneumonia? ---> admit to respiratory (what is that anyway?)

Seems so obvious and straight forward.
 
When I learned you are in NZ, and I saw your list, I was thinking that you would have more of a proper ER experience than what we have in the US. But it turns out...most of the pts above probably didn't need "ER" services to begin with.
Hmm – I'd say most on this list had a reasonable case to be made to end up in the ED. A lot of these folks looked worse when they arrived than when they left, most needed some treatment (rate control, bronchodilators, fluids, analgesia, etc.), some legitimate diagnostics (troponin, Hgb checks for the bleeders), the average age here was like 70 and the admit rate was like 30-35%. Even the "gout" presented as potential outpatient treatment failure for a provisional diagnosis of cellulitis.
Pneumonia? ---> admit to respiratory (what is that anyway?)
Pulmonology.
 
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Oh, I want to play too. My last night shift (11th of 211).

1. 62F terminal metastatic breast cancer intractable pain. Admitted and convinced them and family to be DNR/DNI.
2. 80F empyema from a PleurX catheter, admitted.
3. 29M intentional benzo overdose, admitted.
4. 78F rhabdomyolysis and AKI probably from a statin, admitted.
5. 29F alcohol abuser in denial with withdrawal, admitted.
6. 86M demented urosepsis, admitted.
7. 52F chest pain but refused admitted, discharged.
8. 42F trach patient with tracheitis, admitted.
9. 72M hypotensive and no clear reason why even after exhaustive search, admitted.
10. 62F lower GI bleed on Eliquis, admitted.
11. 74M ESRD with pulmonary edema, admitted.
12. 84M hypoglycemic with COVID-19, told my NP they couldn't send home this guy who had a sugar of 38 who was on glipizide, admitted.
13. 71F NSTEMI, admitted.
14. 34F UTI, discharged.
14. 21F COVID, discharged.
15. 29F asthma exacerbation, discharged.
16. 64M chest pain, refused admission, discharged.
17. 11M chronic kid with recurrent SBO, transferred.
18. 14M APAP overdose, admitted to PICU.
19. 42F COVID, discharged.
20. 25F UTI, discharged.
21. 21M SAH, admitted to ICU.
22. 87F choledocholithiasis, admitted.
23. 58M gastroenteritis, discharged.
24. 46F nonspecific abdominal pain with negative workup, discharged.
 
Oh, I want to play too. My last night shift (11th of 211).

1. 62F terminal metastatic breast cancer intractable pain. Admitted and convinced them and family to be DNR/DNI.
2. 80F empyema from a PleurX catheter, admitted.
3. 29M intentional benzo overdose, admitted.
4. 78F rhabdomyolysis and AKI probably from a statin, admitted.
5. 29F alcohol abuser in denial with withdrawal, admitted.
6. 86M demented urosepsis, admitted.
7. 52F chest pain but refused admitted, discharged.
8. 42F trach patient with tracheitis, admitted.
9. 72M hypotensive and no clear reason why even after exhaustive search, admitted.
10. 62F lower GI bleed on Eliquis, admitted.
11. 74M ESRD with pulmonary edema, admitted.
12. 84M hypoglycemic with COVID-19, told my NP they couldn't send home this guy who had a sugar of 38 who was on glipizide, admitted.
13. 71F NSTEMI, admitted.
14. 34F UTI, discharged.
14. 21F COVID, discharged.
15. 29F asthma exacerbation, discharged.
16. 64M chest pain, refused admission, discharged.
17. 11M chronic kid with recurrent SBO, transferred.
18. 14M APAP overdose, admitted to PICU.
19. 42F COVID, discharged.
20. 25F UTI, discharged.
21. 21M SAH, admitted to ICU.
22. 87F choledocholithiasis, admitted.
23. 58M gastroenteritis, discharged.
24. 46F nonspecific abdominal pain with negative workup, discharged.
Where did you find 15 beds? Or are they still sitting in a chair in the waiting room but on the medicine service now?
 
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Yea that is a lot of admits. I don't think I've ever admitted 15 people on a shift anytime in my 7 year career as an attending. I'm not saying these are unreasonable admits though.
#3 Sometimes we keep people like this in the ER and let them ride it out over 6-10 hours.
#5 depending on how bad they are - home with librium or phenobarbital.
#7, I'm admitting less and less chest pain these days because the 30 day risk is so low (much lower than 2% that we learned in residency). This kind of thing just depends.
#12 glipizide overdoses need to be admitted, but routine hypoglycemia on glipizide isn't that dangerous. Sometimes COVID-19 people can't eat well so that's a problem. But if he can eat a sandwich and his blood sugars stay above 90-100 for several rechecks I would probably send that guy home all things considered.

Good stuff overall
 
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Yea that is a lot of admits. I don't think I've ever admitted 15 people on a shift anytime in my 7 year career as an attending. I'm not saying these are unreasonable admits though.
#3 Sometimes we keep people like this in the ER and let them ride it out over 6-10 hours.
#5 depending on how bad they are - home with librium or phenobarbital.
#7, I'm admitting less and less chest pain these days because the 30 day risk is so low (much lower than 2% that we learned in residency). This kind of thing just depends.
#12 glipizide overdoses need to be admitted, but routine hypoglycemia on glipizide isn't that dangerous. Sometimes COVID-19 people can't eat well so that's a problem. But if he can eat a sandwich and his blood sugars stay above 90-100 for several rechecks I would probably send that guy home all things considered.

Good stuff overall
Agreed. 3 would have wound up in Ed obs for a psych eval, not admitted in my shop. 5 would likely get meds and dc. Unless they're about to seize or go into DTs, just medicate them and get them out. They'll medicate themselves with booze when they get home.
 
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9 hr shift. Look at this nonsense:

1. 26 yo F 10 wks pregnant with spotting, w/u normal, discharged
2. 90 yo F with ESRD with upper abd pain, labs / CT neg, probably gastritis? Wanted to go home, discharged
3. 60 yo M got beat up, has nondisplaced orbital wall fxs. Vision normal. discharged
4. 28 yo F with COVID symptoms, + COVID. discharged.
5. 28 yo F came in with PD for med clearance, her ring was stuck on her swollen index finger. The ring was cut off. discharged.
6. 4 yo boy had second seizure of his life. Back to normal. FSG was normal. I arranged for f/u tomorrow. discharged w/o AEDs.
7. 9 yo boy with partial thickness 2% TBSA scald burn to left thigh. Gave wound care, pain meds. discharged.
8. 33 yo M with COVID symptoms, + COVID. discharged
9. 44 yo F cut finger. Placed one bandaid. discharged.
10. 21 yo F with COVID symptoms, + COVID. discharged.
11. 21 yo M with fever after COVID booster. discharged.
12. 21 yo F with HA, n / v / diarrhea. Has AGE and maybe a cheap UTI. discharged with Abx.
13. 38 yo F with left radicular symptoms. Had normal MRI 1 month ago. No red flags on exam. Toradol IM. discharged.
14. 43 yo F with weird symptoms: facial itching, cheek angioedema? weird chest pressure. and like 6 other symptoms after taking benzonatate. I did labs and EKG and treated this as if it was an allergic reaction. She got a little bit better. Rx loratadine and pepcid x5 days. discharged
15. 63 yo M with b/l BKA from diabetes p/w sore throat. Normal exam. + COVID. discharged
16. 22 yo F 11 wks pregnant was actively miscarrying in the ED. US showed schmutz. discharged
17. 72 yo F demented, bedbound, non-verbal, and contracted to high heaven p/w R am swelling. Turns out she has a non-displaced supracondylar fracture, presumably atraumatic?. Put in posterior-long arm splint. discharged.
18. 73 yo M with profound insulin resistance p/w FSG 500. No DKA, no infection, no identifiable stressor. I gave 25U x2 and FSG went up! How the F does that happen?!?! He normally takes 95U BID of 70/30. I admitted because this is ridiculous (turned out that he was discharged 4 hrs later after his FSG went down to 210.)
19. 33 yo M in pretty bad motorcycle accident, has significant road rash and distal radius fx. Pan scan neg. Admitted to trauma for obs.
20. 38 yo M with intermittent HA for 10 months. BP was 240/140 measured twice. He has no f/u and I decided to check labs, Cr is 4.9. Last was 1.0 about 6 years ago. Admitted.
21. 62 yo M with Down can no longer be cared for at his current facility for some reason. He's a chronic mess. All labs and imaging are negative. Can't admit and Case Mgmt is trying to place him. signed out to oncoming doc.
22. 31 yo F 11 wks pregnant p/w lower abd pain. US normal. Then she proceeds to show me an impressive carbuncle in her left armpit draining pus that has been festering for about 2 months. I lance once but she is in so much pain she asked me to stop. Rx clindamycin and asked her to come back to get more of it drained later. discharged.
23. 59 yo F we know well for psych stuff comes in for an unknown reason. She is vigorously eating hospital food with her hands and not talking to me. dx: Hunger. discharged.
24. 33 yo M with COVID symptoms and b/l proximal thigh and buttock pain. + COVID. Decided not to check CPK. discharged
25. 26 yo F with falling HCG and pelvic pain. HCG 6, US neg. discharged
26. 79 yo M h/o metastatic panc CA p/w cough, no red flags. Workup neg. discharged.
27. 17 yo M with COVID symptoms. discharged. (apparently we lost his swab? there is no record of the test result)
28. 18 yo F with COVID symptoms, + COVID. discharged
29. 79 yo F signed out to me for cough, wheezing. w/u neg. She looks fine. discharged
30. 32 yo F sent in by Ophtho for CT Head b/c she has papilledema. CT neg. Discharged on diamox 250mg BID.
 
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54-year-old male with a DVT. Years before, he had been diagnosed with a DVT but decided, against doctors’ advice, to go off of anticoagulation. This time, cerulea dolens. Admitted for heparin drip and removal in AM by IR.
88-year-old male with increasingly agitated behavior. Family having a challenging time taking care of him. Extensive work-up revealed no other cause other than gradually worsening dementia. Discharged.
61-year-old female with dizziness, intermittent low blood pressure and acute renal insufficiency. Intermittent sinus pauses lasting 5-10 seconds. Junctional rhythm intermittently. Cardiology wants her transferred downtown to them for pacemaker. No beds, so she sat in our ER, for over 10 hours until a bed opened up.
60-year-old female with chest pain and abdominal pain. Work-up just shows cholelithiasis without infection. She had been told previously to go to surgeon for removal. She was discharged and told to get her gall bladder out as had previously been recommended.
42-year-old with marijuana withdrawal for a week after being forced to be clean for a job. She had smoked pot for 27 years. She checked into the ER wanting sedative medication to make her feel less anxious. Given a couple of days of hydroxyzine.
34-year-old male with 9 ER visits that same year for suicidal/homicidal ideations. Her for same. He had been admitted to psychiatric facilities numerous times. He had been prescribed psychiatric medications and referred to out-patient counselling. He said the medications didn’t help and he didn’t go to the counsellors he was referred to. Despite being homeless, he somehow managed to acquire a consistent supply of various addictive substances. Here for more of the same. Sent to "stabilization."
64-year-old female who fell off a patio, incurring a minor L-spine and rib fracture. Her alcohol level was in the 300's. She was observed for several hours until she was able to ambulate. Then she went home with family.
45-year-old alcoholic female with 7 ER visits for alcohol related problems in the past year. Intoxicated. Claimed withdrawal, but clinically, not in withdrawal. Offered her a bed at detox. She declined detox and went home.
37-year-old female with 19 ER visits this year. In the past two months, her most prominent symptom had been a headache. In the past two months, she had received two CTs and three MRIs of her brain. She had a headache again today as well as chest pain, another of her frequent complaints. When her headache came back that day, she decided to come back to the ER. She didn’t take Tylenol or ibuprofen prior to coming to the ER. I treated her with migraine medications and sent her home when she felt better.
4-week-old with strange hiccupping breathing after starting new formula. I examined the patient and observed the child for a while until the behavior recurred and reassured the parents that it was normal behavior for an infant.
73-year-old female with abdominal pain and vomiting. CT scan showed widely metastatic cancer encasing intestines. Surgeon felt surgery futile. Admitted her for palliative care.
48-year-old male with chest pain that revealed no emergent problems.
Septic 82-year-old who ended up having strep pneumonia. Admitted.
6-year-old female with a minor fractured elbow that we splinted and referred to an orthopedic surgeon.
42-year-old female who fell and hit her head while drinking alcohol. Altered, so her spouse called 911. She continued to act strangely in our ER after normal head CT. After several hours of observation, she stopped acting strange and said she wanted to go home with her boyfriend.
Between self-destructive behaviors, non-compliance, addiction, and anxiety I spent a lot of time shaking my head. I feel I only truly helped a handful. The rest, I was reassuring and running retrospectively unnecessary tests.
 
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Yea that is a lot of admits. I don't think I've ever admitted 15 people on a shift anytime in my 7 year career as an attending. I'm not saying these are unreasonable admits though.
#3 Sometimes we keep people like this in the ER and let them ride it out over 6-10 hours.
#5 depending on how bad they are - home with librium or phenobarbital.
#7, I'm admitting less and less chest pain these days because the 30 day risk is so low (much lower than 2% that we learned in residency). This kind of thing just depends.
#12 glipizide overdoses need to be admitted, but routine hypoglycemia on glipizide isn't that dangerous. Sometimes COVID-19 people can't eat well so that's a problem. But if he can eat a sandwich and his blood sugars stay above 90-100 for several rechecks I would probably send that guy home all things considered.

Good stuff overall
Fair, I work somewhere where follow up is very bad and unreliable and I don't trust most of the PCPs anyway.
FWIW, #3 is still in the ER now (mostly as a psych hold at this point), he was totally out of it for well over 12 hours, way too long to just obs.
#5 ended up leaving AMA eventually.
#7 fair, see above though.
#12 If it was just glipizide, yes maybe, just COVID-19, yes, combo of that + >80 years old, not for me.

That many admits wasn't really uncommon to be honest either, and I'm probably in the middle of my group for admission %. The acuity was a bit higher than usual though, although that too wasn't that much of an outlier from the norm.
 
9 hr shift. Look at this nonsense:

1. 26 yo F 10 wks pregnant with spotting, w/u normal, discharged
2. 90 yo F with ESRD with upper abd pain, labs / CT neg, probably gastritis? Wanted to go home, discharged
3. 60 yo M got beat up, has nondisplaced orbital wall fxs. Vision normal. discharged
4. 28 yo F with COVID symptoms, + COVID. discharged.
5. 28 yo F came in with PD for med clearance, her ring was stuck on her swollen index finger. The ring was cut off. discharged.
6. 4 yo boy had second seizure of his life. Back to normal. FSG was normal. I arranged for f/u tomorrow. discharged w/o AEDs.
7. 9 yo boy with partial thickness 2% TBSA scald burn to left thigh. Gave wound care, pain meds. discharged.
8. 33 yo M with COVID symptoms, + COVID. discharged
9. 44 yo F cut finger. Placed one bandaid. discharged.
10. 21 yo F with COVID symptoms, + COVID. discharged.
11. 21 yo M with fever after COVID booster. discharged.
12. 21 yo F with HA, n / v / diarrhea. Has AGE and maybe a cheap UTI. discharged with Abx.
13. 38 yo F with left radicular symptoms. Had normal MRI 1 month ago. No red flags on exam. Toradol IM. discharged.
14. 43 yo F with weird symptoms: facial itching, cheek angioedema? weird chest pressure. and like 6 other symptoms after taking benzonatate. I did labs and EKG and treated this as if it was an allergic reaction. She got a little bit better. Rx loratadine and pepcid x5 days. discharged
15. 63 yo M with b/l BKA from diabetes p/w sore throat. Normal exam. + COVID. discharged
16. 22 yo F 11 wks pregnant was actively miscarrying in the ED. US showed schmutz. discharged
17. 72 yo F demented, bedbound, non-verbal, and contracted to high heaven p/w R am swelling. Turns out she has a non-displaced supracondylar fracture, presumably atraumatic?. Put in posterior-long arm splint. discharged.
18. 73 yo M with profound insulin resistance p/w FSG 500. No DKA, no infection, no identifiable stressor. I gave 25U x2 and FSG went up! How the F does that happen?!?! He normally takes 95U BID of 70/30. I admitted because this is ridiculous (turned out that he was discharged 4 hrs later after his FSG went down to 210.)
19. 33 yo M in pretty bad motorcycle accident, has significant road rash and distal radius fx. Pan scan neg. Admitted to trauma for obs.
20. 38 yo M with intermittent HA for 10 months. BP was 240/140 measured twice. He has no f/u and I decided to check labs, Cr is 4.9. Last was 1.0 about 6 years ago. Admitted.
21. 62 yo M with Down can no longer be cared for at his current facility for some reason. He's a chronic mess. All labs and imaging are negative. Can't admit and Case Mgmt is trying to place him. signed out to oncoming doc.
22. 31 yo F 11 wks pregnant p/w lower abd pain. US normal. Then she proceeds to show me an impressive carbuncle in her left armpit draining pus that has been festering for about 2 months. I lance once but she is in so much pain she asked me to stop. Rx clindamycin and asked her to come back to get more of it drained later. discharged.
23. 59 yo F we know well for psych stuff comes in for an unknown reason. She is vigorously eating hospital food with her hands and not talking to me. dx: Hunger. discharged.
24. 33 yo M with COVID symptoms and b/l proximal thigh and buttock pain. + COVID. Decided not to check CPK. discharged
25. 26 yo F with falling HCG and pelvic pain. HCG 6, US neg. discharged
26. 79 yo M h/o metastatic panc CA p/w cough, no red flags. Workup neg. discharged.
27. 17 yo M with COVID symptoms. discharged. (apparently we lost his swab? there is no record of the test result)
28. 18 yo F with COVID symptoms, + COVID. discharged
29. 79 yo F signed out to me for cough, wheezing. w/u neg. She looks fine. discharged
30. 32 yo F sent in by Ophtho for CT Head b/c she has papilledema. CT neg. Discharged on diamox 250mg BID.
9 hr shift? I'm exhausted just reading this. (even if half were immediate dispos). Cash dem checks boi!
 
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9 hr shift? I'm exhausted just reading this. (even if half were immediate dispos). Cash dem checks boi!

Well...10 of them are COVID. I look at them, ask "Are you super sick?" (19/20 say no...but the one that does say yes isn't actually sick). I say "I'll swab you then discharge you and somebody will call you if positive."

It was busy but relatively easy. I did real doctoring with about 6-8 people, TBH
 
My last "8 hour" (turned into a 10+hour) shift:

1. 9mo w/low grade fever, otherwise looks like a peach, COVID+ -> dc
2. 25yo, battery “exploded” in face at work and got in eye, irrigated via Morgan lens, pH fine, corneal abrasion-> dc'ed to go see friendly local optho
3. 16 yo w/obvious elbow dislocation, NVI no other injuries->XR confirmed-> waited hours for room/staff to ketamine sedate and reduce/splint, dc’ed w/ortho referral
4. 80 yo w/hematemesis , just dc'ed after admit for esophageal ulcer w/microperf, tachy but otherwise not super sick looking-> protonix -> labs w/AKI but Hb okay, discussed w/GI, CT chest/abd -> admitted
5. 45 yo w/o much PMhx w/near syncope and vague chest discomfort, SBP 60s in field, mildly hypotensive in ED but got better w/2L IVF. K 2.5 repleted, labs/CXR/EKG otherwise fine->admitted
6. 60 yo super ornery frequent flier (usually for complications of DM/homelessness/substance abuse), ?seized, told me hadn’t taken his AED in ages and really wants a chicken salad sandwich, glucose allegedly 98 in field. EKG w/?precordial STEMI-> faxed to our system's cath lab which is 30min away, icards says "no chest pain? repeat the EKG", Rpt EKG still looks scary, icards relays message via his minions/my clerk that they're not activating cath lab (idk why!), rec consult in house cards . W/u delayed hours by challenging peripheral access, labs/IV finally obtained by a friendly anesthesiologist (who was apparently wandering around bored 2/2 cancellation of all elective procedures). Pt then gets goofy, glucose now 19, fixed with d50/sandwich (which he demanded i heat up first), trop luckily fine, admitted
7. 80 yo unvaccinated demented lady w/recent COVID now bacterial PNA failed outpt abx, mildly hypoxic at nursing home, AKI-> admit
8. 46 yo very nice diabetic w/breakthrough COVID, CC “I think I’m in DKA”, he's right -> fluids/insulin gtt etc., no open ICU beds in house -> called >15 hospitals none of whom have any ICU beds -> signed out to continue dka tx until labs good enough for floor admit
9. Giant 35 yo w/heroin/xanax/ETOH ingestion s/p 12mg narcan in field, still hypoxic and drowsy on arrival, CTH/CXR fine, initial plan to get labs but no one could get blood out of him and he improved/confirmed accidental OD/not interested in detox/SW so I gave up-> dc'ed
10. 62 yo w/heavy psych hx w/CC “fam thinks she has a UTI” due to vague ?maybe confusion and stinky pee, bloodwork/CTH fine, signed out hours later still waiting for UA to be collected
11. 87 yo demented DNR/DNI w/breakthrough COVID , hypoxia requiring nonrebreather-> admitted
12. 54 yo who comes in nearly every day saying “I’m going to die, today’s the day, doc!” and gets inappropriately triaged as “suicidal”. Confirmed he does not wish to kill himself and has no other symptoms-> cancel labs/behavioral health hold-> dc’ed (“thanks, see you tomorrow, doc!”)
13. 43 yo unvaccinated ("for scientific reasons”) w/covid exposure and cough -> CXR, swab-> dc
14. 37 yo fellow ER doc mild congestion/sore throat, swabbed and “dc’ed” to her side of dept
15. 59 yo unvaccinated (“because I’m on methotrexate”?) with COVID, found down w/?hematemesis vs hemoptysis, super tachy and spo2 90% on 6L NC, -> protonix, IVF, antiemetic-> HR better, labs fine, CTH fine, CT chest/abd/pelvis with very bizarre findings; radiologist, GI, surgery all said “i’ve never seen anything like this! She needs a tertiary care ICU!” I stayed 2 hours late to tell her long weird complicated story to >10 tertiary care transfer center minions to no avail, “admitted” under ICU doc to board in ER
16. 70 yo drunken head bonk, CTH/c-spine fine, signed out to metabolize to freedom
17. 90 yo demented and too rowdy for current nursing home -> labs/CTH fine-> ED obs for SW/CM
18-21. 4-fer ages 2-53 w/mild sx requesting COVID test-> dc
 
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