Construction Call

Kevin has to subdue a construction worker suffering nitrogen narcosis

 

Construction Call

 

 

 

The tones broke into Kevin’s concentration and he listened for the call. It sounded like a potentially bad call, so Kevin put on his belt and got in the supervisor’s car. 

            He followed Joyce and Reggie to a construction site where a man had crawled inside a section of pipeline filled with nitrogen to watch the robot welding system at work. He was overcome with nitrogen narcosis and very hard to control. They wrestled with the patient until they got him into the back of Joyce’s unit. Away from the curious eyes of the construction crew, Kevin did something he really hated to do.

            “Guys, I hate to do this, but we have to protect this guy from killing either himself or us until we get to the hospital. Joyce, you don’t see this, remember?”

            “What??? What are you going to do?”

            “He’s going to put him to sleep so we can get IV’s going Joyce. He’s had to do this a time or two with really combative patients, but it has been a while.”

            “He’ll be out about 1-2 minutes, but this is not a loss of consciousness, but I prefer to call it, resetting the neurons.”

            The patient was way out of control. The back of the ambulance was strewn with medical supplies knocked out of the cabinets as she fought and struggled with the medics who were trying to save his life. Kevin placed pressure on the man’s carotid arteries and he went to sleep quickly. The monitor showed no problems with his heart and he maintained a stable pressure. With the IV’s in, they gave him a dose of Versed that would keep him sedated until he was in safer surroundings at the emergency room.      High volume oxygen was initiated and Kevin felt safe to allow Joyce and Reggie to transport the patient to the emergency room.

            “He should stay settled down until you get to Mainland. I’ll call in the report for you, just in case.”

            Kevin called in the report and the rest of the call went without incident. The construction worker was admitted to ICU and seemed to suffer few ill effects from the nitrogen narcosis.

           “Reggie that was some call. How many times have you seen Kevin do that trick of his?”

            “Twice, counting this. He’s only used it to save my skin, and now this patient’s”

            “I’m impressed. I’ve never seen that done outside the movies.”

            “Keep it under your hat then. You still haven’t seen it outside the movies. EMS might not understand that trick the way we understand it and Kevin is one helluva paramedic to have the balls to use it when he has had to.”

            “Enough said. I would never do anything to put Kevin in jeopardy.”