What is the most "saves" you are aware of? Postman has 3

[medic417]

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/mailman-saves-life-again-20925449

Postman has 3 "saves". Glad he was in area and able to help these people.

Personally I don't count "saves" because then I have to accept blame for everyone that dies. But this report brought to mind a claim that I say is BS on what seems a high number of "saves" where patient left hospital able to function close to condition prior to code.

So how many patients have you gotten ROSC (Return Of Spontaneous Circulation ) and patient survived to discharge in a functional manner? Whats the most you have heard of from reliable source for a prehospital provider? Again I am calling a "save" a ROSC with discharge from hospital where patient still has a functionable life, can do most of what they did prior to coding. Note I did not say quality as that is open to interpretation.

 

[lightsandsirens5]

I don't call it a save, per se. Like you, I feel that by taking responsibility for a "save" it follows that I must also assume responsibility for one that gets called.

That being said, I had one ROSC. Arrived as fire department first response what must have been seconds after he coded. Had a pulse by the time the amb arrived, but was only breathing like 4. The next day the amb crew told me he had been admitted overnight and released. So far as I know he is still alive and kicking.

 

[firecoins]

Every person I remove from a nursing home is a potential save.

 

[medic417]

Every person I remove from a nursing home is a potential save.

So fire you checked 400+ . Have you truly gotten return of pulse and patient discharge on 400+ people? Please answer seriously. I really want and need to see the true numbers. Thanks everyone for giving serious answers.

 

[Shishkabob]

Do you consider keeping a status asthmitucus patient, with a history of intubation and currently crashing fast, from going in to respiratory arrest a save?

My preceptor at the time said "She had the look of death in her eyes, and every other time I've seen it they've died".




Heh.. you said ROSC which means CPR only. Well then, I've only had 1 arrest and they were asystole on arrival... already stacked against me.

 

[medic417]

Do you consider keeping a status asthmitucus patient, with a history of intubation and currently crashing fast, from going in to respiratory arrest a save?

My preceptor at the time said "She had the look of death in her eyes, and every other time I've seen it they've died".




Heh.. you said ROSC which means CPR only. Well then, I've only had 1 arrest and they were asystole on arrival... already stacked against me.

On this survey patient with no pulse get pulse back and then able to discharge from hospital basically intact.

I agree we actually could say we saved more people if we include those that w/o us showing up and treating probably could have died such as your respiratory patient and even many diabetic emergencies. But please for this survey only count patients that had no pulse then regained prehospital and were able to leave basically intact.

Why? Multiple reasons. One wondering just how I and my area stack up. Second a person was bragging about how many patients they had that had return of pulse because of their efforts and discharged basically intact. I will not say the number for now but I called BS. If wrong based on responses I will seek the person out and apologize. But I doubt I am wrong as I doubt many services over the same number of years reach the number they claimed.

 

[rescue99]

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/mailman-saves-life-again-20925449

Postman has 3 "saves". Glad he was in area and able to help these people.

Personally I don't count "saves" because then I have to accept blame for everyone that dies. But this report brought to mind a claim that I say is BS on what seems a high number of "saves" where patient left hospital able to function close to condition prior to code.

A save is a person who goes home to continue living a productive lifestyle. I would never count a brain damaged, bed ridden soul a save by any means. To count the ones we do lose is emotionally unhealthy and I've never counted the saves either. But then again, unless they're holding a conversation with me, I haven't a clue who-all that might be since it would be rare (twice)to follow up on patients.

 

[Sasha]

A save is a person who goes home to continue living a productive lifestyle. I would never count a brain damaged, bed ridden soul a save by any means.

That's why a "save" is subjective. Some people would think just being around to see their grandchildren, even if it's from a bed and you're impaired, to be "productive" and worth while. Others think their life is over the moment they become bedconfined. I happen to be in the latter.

 

[EMTinNEPA]

I had six saves yesterday... lady coded, got her back... then she coded again, and we got her back again... then she coded again, and we got her back again... then she coded again, and we got her back again... then she coded again, and we got her back... then she coded one more time, and we got her back one more time.

^_^

 

[medic417]

I had six saves yesterday... lady coded, got her back... then she coded again, and we got her back again... then she coded again, and we got her back again... then she coded again, and we got her back again... then she coded again, and we got her back... then she coded one more time, and we got her back one more time.

^_^

But she did not go home from the hospital each time so not a save except the one time you get her back and she gets released basically intact.

The person that I feel like lied claims a ton of saves where the people returned home with basically no deficits.

 

[rescue99]

On this survey patient with no pulse get pulse back and then able to discharge from hospital basically intact.

I agree we actually could say we saved more people if we include those that w/o us showing up and treating probably could have died such as your respiratory patient and even many diabetic emergencies. But please for this survey only count patients that had no pulse then regained prehospital and were able to leave basically intact.

Why? Multiple reasons. One wondering just how I and my area stack up. Second a person was bragging about how many patients they had that had return of pulse because of their efforts and discharged basically intact. I will not say the number for now but I called BS. If wrong based on responses I will seek the person out and apologize. But I doubt I am wrong as I doubt many services over the same number of years reach the number they claimed.

The national average is less than 5%. In a few areas the number is higher but none have exceeded 8%. Not that I've heard anyway. BS sounds pretty accurate.

 

[ZVNEMT]

there's no option for 0 saves...

 

[Malissa]

I am new to EMS and have not worked yet so for myself 0 saves. My instructor who has works for EMS for 20 years says only claims a couple. I can not remember the exact number he said but it was at most 4. He says a true save where the patient leaves the hospital with a similar life quality are rare.

 

[AnthonyM83]

To me "saves" just means how many times did you deliver a cardiac arrest patient to the ER with pulses back. After that, it becomes too hard to track patients for me, so I wouldn't be able to give accurate numbers.

Good point, though. We save someone in anaphylaxis when we give them epi. Feels good when you realize a person would have died for sure had you not intervened. It's easy to feel like you're just being a taxi sometimes, so it's good to remember those "saves" too.


As far as ROSC, my save rate for medical cardiac arrests during the two months of internship was 5 out of 5.

I attribute it to early recognition (witnessed), early intervention (even just crappy CPR by family), constant compressions (very little time off the chest, good CPR is vital), and luck of the precipitating cause being responsive to our drugs/interventions (the trauma arrests didn't fare so well....)

 

[emtstudent04]

I had a code on a ride along that i did a few months ago. Pt was a 50y/o F. Fire was on scene first with Pt flat line already, we arrived on scene and did about 10 to 12 minutes of CPR and she was pronounced. That was my first Pt that coded. No saves though.

 

[ShannahQuilts]

I don't have any saves, either, although I have twice stopped people from doing things that might well have led to their death.

 

[ffemt8978]

I've had two, both of which are still around today (3 and 4 years after their code).

 

[medic417]

I've had two, both of which are still around today (3 and 4 years after their code).

Excellent.

So anyone here really have 400+ saves as defined for this post?

 

[reaper]

I would say in 21 years, it is around 15-16 true saves.

I can go a year or two with none. Then have 3 in one year. They tend to run in clusters.

 

[Smash]

Excellent.

So anyone here really have 400+ saves as defined for this post?

400+ would be somewhat difficult to believe if you are considering a 'save' as discharge to home neurologically intact. If you take it as 'oh look we got a pulse back' then, 400+ is still an awful lot of codes! Survival from prehospital cardiac arrest generally seems to be about 5% across the board. For bystander witnesses cardiac arrest with a presenting rhythm of VT/VF my service had a survival to discharge rate of just under 30%. Even then there is no way that me or any of my colleagues have had 400 "saves"

Oh, and I prefer to think of them as 'prolongations' as opposed to 'saves'!