Memoir of a medical doctor….day 37

Never ever take a walk through causality department if you’re not on call/duty. You will either end up being on abrupt call there or you will be the causality.

A few nights back, a colleague called me to go perform a cesarean section with him at around 9pm. It was his night duty on obstetrics and gynaecology ward. I was his second of call. So after the case, we decided to go grab some junk at around 11:30pm.

We passed via causality/emergency unit to talk to the intern doctor on call there. We were met with a mass causality and were ordered to get our gloves on and start working. Remember we were on duty on another ward, and emergencies could flock our wing any time. Stab wounds, intestinal obstruction, omphalocele, about 4 mob justice cases with a low GCS, all these in one small place and each one screaming for help from their corner.

Here was poor me who was used to the calm situation on maternity ward, and now I had to wear a different brain, different emotions and different expressions.

Everything was happening so fast, and for a moment I stood there wearing gloves, very confused and I didn’t know who and what to start with. Such situations make me forget my Triage skills and all the simulation classes I’ve been to.

On the further end of causality unit is the emergency unit for internal medicine. I saw my colleague trying to do CPR alone, wasn’t calling for help, and he was about the resuscitation anyways. I rushed there and that’s how I got what to do. We in turns did CRP and bagging. Unfortunately, the patient died. This has been the first patient to die in my hands as an intern. I was haunted that night that I kept wondering what I could have done wrong. Very haunted that I even dreamt about the patient coming back to life.