First10EM - May 23, 2016
"You are called urgently to resuscitation. Walking into the room, you recognize a familiar face. In fact, didn’t you discharge him home yesterday with epigastric pain that you attributed to his chronic alcohol use? Today’s diagnosis is not a mystery. There is already a puddle of blood on the floor, and he is quickly filling another emesis basin with bright red blood. A glance at the monitor reveals a heart rate of 135 and a blood pressure of 74/34…"
- Get on personal protective equipment
- Call for help
- Be an emerg doc
- Give blood
- Reverse any known or potential coagulopathy
- Control the airway
- Get direct control of the bleeding