CHEST PAIN FROM A PARAMEDIC

The radio goes, you’ve got a call, it’s time for you to move,

You don’t know where you’re going, if you’ll win or lose,

The engine starts, the sirens wail the blue lights brightly flashing,

Helping to keep me save as through the streets I'm dashing.

You’re dashing through the traffic, no one seems to know you’re there.

Someone stops as you speed past, they give an angry glare.

You don’t know why you're going, what the incident could be.

You shout control on the radio.... ‘do you have an update for me’.

‘A 58 year old male’ they reply, ‘he’s had chest pain through the day’.

‘There are no problems getting into the house, we have nothing more to say’.

As you get close to the address, you do a run-through in your head.

What’s the chance it’s a heart attack and the guy will end up dead.

You pull up outside, grab all your kit and squeeze through the door,

They say ‘he’s in the living room’ like you have been there before.

Your first impression - he looks to well, you think he’ll be ok.

He talks during auscultation, ‘sorry, what did you say?’

‘I awoke with the pain this morning, it felt like heart burn

Through the day it got worse, but didn’t cause concern,

I’ve tried some antacids, maybe it was last night’s curry.

But it’s still there and now I’m sweaty, my wife’s starting to worry’.

It doesn’t change when he breaths, or on palpation.

There’s no history of trauma, he describes a strange sensation.

None radiating central chest pain, his breathing isn’t laboured.

He is very clammy, he’s not been sick, an EGG is favoured.

You attach monitoring dots to the leads, and get ready to shave his chest,

Does he have lots of hair? Fur free and dry is best.

Using a towel you mop the sweat and get him to sit still,

Normal sinus, maybe not,... he doesn’t look that ill.

Oh shit, you feel your heart, it’s pounding in your chest.

The rhythm that his pump is in, really isn’t best.

Surly this isn’t true, his observations must be lying.

But as we sit here chatting, this family man is dying.

You step up your pace and clean your act you now must be swift,

Red response on the radio, this guy needs a lift.

Global damage that’s what it says, the ECGs all wrong.

I need a truck, hurry up, this man doesn’t have long.

You turn to him, smile and then you calmly say,

‘You’ll have to come with us and get this sorted today’.

‘Please, try not to worry, you are in good hands’,...

You joke and ask, ‘was a trip to hospital in your plans?

You’re putting things in order in your head

Cannulation, aspirin, GTN, his wife speaks up,... ‘sorry what’s that you said’?

‘He’s really quite healthy’ she softly speaks,

‘Doesn’t drink, goes to the gym and hasn’t smoked for weeks’.

The crew arrive, calmly walking through the door,

You give that look they’ve seen a hundred times before,

They know there is something wrong, but they join and sing your song,

The situation is very relaxed, positivity is strong.

He says he can walk, we explain you’d better not,

‘If our managers knew you took a stroll, you’d probably get us shot’,

‘Due to budget cuts our chair only has two wheels,

Sit down, enjoy the ride see how fun it feels’.

The calmness and the jokes take away his concern,

The truth, he doesn’t know, his family are yet to learn,

His heart is damaged beyond repair we don’t know when it will stop,

One thing for sure if we’re not quick, with us he’ll surely drop.

You call the doctors, explained what you found and how long you’re going to be,

All the time you’re keeping calm, repeating the ECG,

You tell the man he is unwell, but you’ll do everything you can,

You explain the hospital protocol so he clearly knows the plan,

We’ll get you there and book you in and quickly see the nurses,

Then off to surgery you’ll go, so the doctors can reverse this,

Before we got him there however he said there was something wrong,

You say relax, you’ll be just fine..... and then he was gone.

In front of your eyes this man’s heart stops, can this really be true,

It all slows down, your training kicks in and you know what you need to do,

On his chest straight away pumping good and strong

You shout to the crew, he’s arrested they say ‘we won’t be long’.

An hour and a half they pump his chest, his family looking on,

90 minutes we tried in vain until we said he’d gone,

His wife and children are in bits, compassion and sympathy flow,

He lay there still, he won’t ever wake, you watch the life just go.

You clean your kit and wipe the stretcher where moments before he lay,

You finish the paperwork, saying all you need to say,

You sit in the cab, tell control you’re clear and take a moment to think

‘excellent’ is the reply, ‘next a collapsed male... in drink’.