It was a crisp, cold day of winter in Simi Valley. The leaves had fallen from the trees and the sky was a crystal blue. Like any other day at work, I started my early shift off with equipment checks and stocking. The emergency room was quieter than usual with four patients occupying beds. Nurses sat and enjoyed their hot lattes, reminiscing on their weekends spent on football fields and ballet recitals. The emergency room was always very chilly and having your jacket was a necessity. However, I had forgotten mine in the car. I left the department out through the double doors of the waiting room and approached the patient parking lot. I could feel the chill of burning cold air on my cheeks and my fingers began to go numb. While I was walking through the parking lot, seconds from my car, I noticed a man slumped over on the steering wheel, in his beat up Ford Explorer. I knew at that moment I was facing a challenge. I was alone and nobody was around considering it was still early morning and the majority of hospital staff had not arrived to work yet. I ran over to the man. My heart was racing, my palms were sweaty and my mind was a merry-go-round. I reached the vehicle, the man was pale, diaphoretic and blue at the lips. All signs that the man was not breathing. Without a second of hesitation, I jumped in the car immediately checking for a pulse. No pulse. Before I knew it, his seat was reclined and I was performing CPR. There was a lady who walked by as I shouted for help. Although it was not very long until someone was near, it felt like eternity. Minutes later, a team of ER nurses and a gurney came flying out from the ambulance bay. Suddenly, everyone gathered around and carried the man out from the car and into the emergency room. The quiet ER, was no longer quiet. Nurses were running around, overhead pages were being made for extra help and doctors were giving the staff orders. Monitors were beeping and the defibrillator was charged and ready. At this point, I was sweating and slightly fatigued from the compressions I had been giving for the past thirty minutes. The adrenaline was pumping and my mind was strong. It felt like the last quarter of the basketball game, down by a few points with two minutes left. I was determined to win. Determined to save this mans life as a team. We were going to win. This man was going to keep his life today. Two shocks and several medications later, his pulse returned. The atmosphere of the room changed. Everyone felt slightly at ease. The patient had a tube in his mouth to help him breathe and his weakened heart was beating. After many phone calls to another local hospital, it was decided he would be transferred to their critical care unit by ambulance. Due to how unstable he was, I was asked to attend the ride for extra assistance. When the paramedics arrived, the patient was placed on their gurney, removed from the emergency room bed and on his way for further care. As we made our way outside the ER and into the ambulance, the paramedic noticed something different on the heart monitor. The patient was making his way into asystole also known as the famous Greyâs Anatomy term for âflatline.â The color on the manâs face had changed. The paramedics facial expressions drastically changed. You could see the fear in their eyes of what might be to come. Here I was, compressing this manâs chest again, only this time in a hot, confined ambulance. Frantically, the paramedic ran into the ER and asked the doctor to reassess the patient. The doctor came outside and told us to do the best we could and to drive safely to our destination. Next thing I know, we are driving faster than the speed limit, through red lights, with lights and sirens. For the first time in my career, I was scared. I wanted so badly to close my eyes and wake up from a bad dream. Fear was clouding my head and I was starting to lose focus. The situation was stressful and not having the comfort of hospital equipment and medications made it very difficult. I had to talk myself through every second of the drive. My hands were soaked in sweat, my hair was falling out of the ponytail and I could not keep my balance as the ambulance drove the streets. Thirty minutes now in the hot, stuffy ambulance performing CPR was becoming very stressful. The compressions were not as affective because I was exhausted and the movement from the stop and goâs of the ambulance. We finally arrived at the hospital. We rushed the man in as the nurses from the new hospital were gowned up in gear and more than ready to take this new challenge. This man was dying yet the compressions and medication given were keeping him alive. Finally, my part in saving this mans life, came to an end. He was in the hands of fresh doctors and nurses. Now all we could do was wait to hear if this man survived this long, stressful journey from the parking lot of the emergency room, to the emergency room and on the ambulance to another hospital. It is a day I will never forget. It has made me a stronger EMT and an individual who appreciates life a little more. People do not realize how quickly your life can change in a matter of minutes. Life is too short and you are not guaranteed every day.Â
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