critical care

Finished critical care.  It was a very interesting placement, and one I would have loved to have earlier in the year so I could get more involved.  We didn't have a set timetable, so the time we finished was always variable.  It was quite intense, with the 8am ward rounds in the mornings so I had to get up early.  I have no idea how I used to wake up early during my other firms in the past!  We had an ILS course on the second day, which was basic management of a patient's airway, or what to do if they lose cardiac output and how to restore it, and the causes.  It was really interesting, and amazingly useful as the day after, I was present at 2 peri-arrest calls, both on the same patient who unfortunately passed away the next day.  I also ventilated for and did CPR on a patient who had basically all the complications of diabetes at the young age of 52, and she arrested during the ward round.  There was another lady, whose history I was unclear about, but I gather she was having a hip replacement and they were about to finish when she had bradycardia and then arrested. I did CPR on her too.


When the team decide to stop emergency resuscitation, it feels weird.  I wish we, as students, got some sort of debrief, or got to have a chat with someone about it.


We got to fully examine patients, write the notes on AccuBase, do discharge summaries, watch procedures, see burns surgery, have informal teaching, really enjoyed it :)