So, a guy comes in the ER with chest pain. Common complaint, happens all the time, and usually there is nothing to it. He?s only 45, and his risk factors are that he smokes, he?s overweight, he is sedentary, and he has a history of poly substance abuse. We admit him for observation.
Cardiologist sees him and decides he needs a cardiac cath. During the procedure, they find that the LAD (the widow maker) is 95% blocked, so they stent him and fix the problem. With some medication management and hopefully lifestyle changes, this guy will be as good as new.
He?s in his hospital bed recovering about 3 hours after the cath. No problems, feels well, looks fine, and he should get to go home in the morning. Uh oh, he goes into vfib on the monitor. A code blue is called, staff rush into the room, and he?s having a seizure plus he?s in vfib. We get the backboard under him, get the pads on, shock him, and start compressions. A few minutes later, we shock him again, do more compressions, and the guy miraculously wakes up and starts trying to climb out of bed! We console him, tell him it?s ok, and prepare him to go back to cath lab emergently to check on his new stent.
In cath lab, it is found that his stent is just fine, and there is no reason found for him to have coded like he did. They do notice a white powdery residue though inside his nostrils. After he recovers, he is asked what happened. He?s pretty honest, and he says that his wife brought him some ?pills?, and he snorted them. He doesn?t remember anything after that except some intense pain in his chest (because I was doing compressions).
So, the guy gets a new lease on life, and he decides that snorting some pills in the hospital is a good idea 🤦🏽*♂️
More to come. I?ll try to write consistently if u all like this stuff.
Cardiologist sees him and decides he needs a cardiac cath. During the procedure, they find that the LAD (the widow maker) is 95% blocked, so they stent him and fix the problem. With some medication management and hopefully lifestyle changes, this guy will be as good as new.
He?s in his hospital bed recovering about 3 hours after the cath. No problems, feels well, looks fine, and he should get to go home in the morning. Uh oh, he goes into vfib on the monitor. A code blue is called, staff rush into the room, and he?s having a seizure plus he?s in vfib. We get the backboard under him, get the pads on, shock him, and start compressions. A few minutes later, we shock him again, do more compressions, and the guy miraculously wakes up and starts trying to climb out of bed! We console him, tell him it?s ok, and prepare him to go back to cath lab emergently to check on his new stent.
In cath lab, it is found that his stent is just fine, and there is no reason found for him to have coded like he did. They do notice a white powdery residue though inside his nostrils. After he recovers, he is asked what happened. He?s pretty honest, and he says that his wife brought him some ?pills?, and he snorted them. He doesn?t remember anything after that except some intense pain in his chest (because I was doing compressions).
So, the guy gets a new lease on life, and he decides that snorting some pills in the hospital is a good idea 🤦🏽*♂️
More to come. I?ll try to write consistently if u all like this stuff.
