ideal ER lengths of stay?

[KMATTOX at aol.com]

In a message dated 10/11/2007 8:11:09 P.M. Central Daylight Time,  
roydanks at hotmail.com writes:

we'll  sometimes put lines in, in the bay and "stabilize" so that the move to 
the ICU  is safer...you know, so lines don't get pulled, tubes are in  
well...etc.




One has to ask what it is that one can do in the EC in such a patient, that  
cannot be done 3-5 minutes later in the OR or the ICU.  
 
Portable Chest X-ray, maybe
CT in highly selected patients, maybe
 
Fluids - NO   do it in the OR if any
NG tube - NO do it in the OR or ICU
Foley - Same same.  do it in OR or ICU
Chest tube,  Maybe, but that is why I gave up to 5-8 minutes  initially.
 
The purpose of an EC in the described patient is to wave to them as they go  
from the ambulance dock to the OR or the ICU.    
 
k



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