TRAUMA

So I usually head over to Salem Hospital around 3:00 on Mondays to volunteer for about an hour, but I was running a little late today and parked/changed clothes (in the parking garage...super awkward if you're unlucky and someone pulls in next to you) at around 3:05. At this point, I'm fast-walking to the hospital (as a volunteer, it probably doesn't matter, but I hate being late) and just as I'm about to cross the street to the hospital, an ambulance with full-blown lights and sirens turns onto the street. Now I know that this ambulance isn't carrying like cuts and scrapes so I take off running. blah blah blah, and I was in the trauma bay within five-ish minutes.

Mr X is a 52 year old man with a long history of shooting oxycodone had run his car into a dumptruck and was suffering from a broken/shattered femur, tib/fib (open fracture), and was tachycardic.

We took him to CT (where I met this awesome trauma surgeon with a Southern accent who was hilarious; her last words as she left the case were "Well I'm going to operate, loves and kisses and all that shit.") where the orthopedic surgeon at SH discovered that he wouldn't be able to repair the damage (probably more than 20 shattered pieces just below the knee). So the trauma guys called for a transfer by helicopter to Legacy in Portland. When the helicopter came, we rolled the patient out to the ambulance and took the ambulance out to the "helipad" aka Mcculloch Stadium, loaded him onto the helicopter, and saw him off.

I hate what this sounds like, but it was an awesome trauma. People always think I'm morbid, but it's not the "trauma itself" that I enjoy, but the process of trying to save someone's life (even though this one wasn't necessarily life threatening). Not really knowing how or being able to help was really inspiring to me. I want to be the trauma surgeon that stays for the climax of the case, hardly charts anything, and leaves to go directly into the OR with another patient.