Monday, August 18, 2008

Hmm ... murder? or too much CSI

So I am hanging around in the ER with my recently intubated - now ventilated patient. Waiting for the ICU to give us thumbs up to transport her. This felt like a run of the mill OD pt. to me. All of a sudden there is a shy knock on the door. I never had anyone knock on the trauma room doors before. Since I'm alone in the room (except for sleeping ventilated beauty there) I get up and open it. There is this guy with three camera's around his neck, a official looking ID tag, and a backpack. He says he's from the ME's office and needs to come in and take pictures. Hmmm- problem here - patients not dead. I told him to go find the nurse.

It really got me thinking though. How many patients have I had that we thought were routine OD? Husband/ wife/ boyfriend/ girlfriend tells us that the patient is a drug user, pt. has positive tox screen, so we just believe they got carried away this time. Wouldn't that be a fairly easy way to murder someone? Is that what happened this time? Why is the ME office interested in this patient? Kind of freaky.

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