Excerpts: So… You Want to Transport an ECMO Huh?

Editor’s Note:

This book is NOW over 99% written and moving into the Editing Phase!

The title of the book is “The Tips of Spears- An Inside Look At Heart Surgery in America”

It is a rendering of the reality, sometimes sad and at times funny, emotional, and clinical vignettes of the many different aspects relating to open heart surgery- from the perspective of a perfusionist. This book is a commentary not only on the intricacies of heart surgery, but openly engages and describes the peaks and valleys of ethical or moral successes and failures.  It highlights moments where lives are saved by the strength of the character of the team- as well as surgical strategies undone by flaws imbued in the highly trained individuals living and breathing this volatile work environment.

Here is an Excerpt from the book 🙂

Excerpts from:  “The Tips of Spears-

So… You Want to Transport an ECMO Huh?

Make this the Ending of the book– discuss:

Our drive to succeed

Un-Willful negligence

The All or Nothing Mantra

Bravery

Moments of Scary thoughts and Choices (My dilemma for hand cranking to overcome Q issues- realizing how UN familiar I really was with the device- as I contemplated ways to shut it down and remove it from the Centrifugal Servo-in order to hand crank.

We are flawed yet great

Ending:  “Where to from Now”  Answer- “The NEXT patient 🙂

Put the next Patient line on the next and last page with a Samson Pic

• Finishing a heart
• Cannulation Issues
• Ground Transport Baybee
• the ID and what to bring
• The Swag Bag
• Arrival
• Wags treated me well
• UNPLUGGED
• Batteries
• O2 Considerations  Jess says WAIT
• The 1st Run
• Stuffed like Sardines
• Trapped Like Rats- The Ambulance Total Fail
• A bad hand off- 1 nurse leaves to give report to the next- 40 min down time
• Stuck with the Paramedic
• A sudden melt down
• Vomiting- hypo-perfusion
• What part of vomiting means the pt is unstable?  Discuss no alternatives
• To aspirate or not- success overrules lack of preparation
• The relentless He alarm
• Extra Batteries- a Stopcock and Syringe
• WTF?  Helium is limited?
• Does Hybrid mean- Bring a stopcock and a syringe?
• Eyes off the Prize- NO Q!
• I NEED Volume!
• Where have all my people gone?
• The rescue
• Retreating to get a CT
• We are gonna transport
• The bravest man I ever saw people forgot he was there- clothes and Ivs brushing his face
• The drive-
• The lecture on owning Your Environment
• The PotHoles
• Kneecapping the Patient- Cheap IV poles
• the Arrival and the ER Nurse-
• Presenting the patient to the docs
• From Neanderthal to respect
• No Q Baybee
• The hidden accidental decannulation
• Gaining respect by sticking around
• Turning back for the Jacket and IDs
• He is still talking
• The brutal drive home- Makes you wonder how close the tip was to falling out?
• It takes a village:  All those people to save ONE life