Monday, August 17, 2009

One Good Stroke Deserves Another...

There's an irregular heart rhythm called V-tach (short for ventricular tachycardia). Sometimes it's harmless and transient, but at other times can lead to more life-threatening heart rhythms. Therefore, when it shows up on the cardiac-telemetry monitor, it needs to be checked out FAST.

So this morning, around 5:00 a.m., I was on hospital rounds, reviewing a chart on the cardiac floor. I'd been asked to see the gentleman in room 31 (Reverend Jones, of Local Church), for a small stroke he'd had.

Suddenly the monitor tech paged overhead: "Room 31 is in V-tach! Check patient STAT!!!".

About 5 nearby nurses jumped up and ran into the room, throwing the door open, flipping the lights on, racing to the bed.

Reverend Jones was, uh, playing with certain things. Without sheets over him, either.

He explained that he "just wanted to see if my man-parts still work after the stroke".

I decided to just see him this afternoon, after his MRI is done. He's had enough embarrassment for the morning.
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21 comments:

  1. CrownedwithVictoryAugust 17, 2009 at 12:08 PM

    Great title!

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  2. HelenAugust 17, 2009 at 12:50 PM

    Poor man! It's not as bad, but when I was in the recovery room after and EP study, attempting very uncomfortably to use a bedpan. I guess I was getting a little worked up, because my HR increased significantly. My doctors and 3 nurses ran in and yanked the covers down (curtains back and everything) to get an ECG - and promptly realized what I was trying to do. Total humiliation.

    Great blog, by the way!

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  3. John WoolmanAugust 17, 2009 at 12:53 PM

    If it had progressed to VF, he wouldn't have known if he was coming or going.....

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  4. AnonymousAugust 17, 2009 at 4:57 PM

    i'm guessing some frontal lobe impairment, there. where was the stroke on the MRI? and how many frontal lobe signs did he have on exam?


    and, I agree with the previous comment - perfect title.

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  5. Grumpy, M.D.August 17, 2009 at 5:01 PM

    Sorry, small vessel lacune, on left. Only a facial droop.

    Fortunately, patient was left-handed, as we all noticed when we ran in.

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  6. ndenunzAugust 17, 2009 at 5:04 PM

    Would you classify this as a recurrent stroke?

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  7. BarbAugust 17, 2009 at 6:12 PM

    Doesn't he know what that will do to his eyesight?

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  8. moody rnAugust 17, 2009 at 6:34 PM

    Love it!!!
    Also love your blog! There's so much crazy stuff out there in medical land...

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  9. bettyAugust 17, 2009 at 8:56 PM

    LOL!! oh my gosh!!! and it was only 5 o'clock in the morning; was this considered a good start for your day?

    betty

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  10. TheresaAugust 17, 2009 at 9:46 PM

    Great timing on your post. I was in the ER last night/this morning (3 am), thinking I was having a heart attack. They x-rayed, took blood, ekg etc.etc. No one yelled STAT, actually they said go home. So I guess that's good news, right?

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  11. Grumpy, M.D.August 17, 2009 at 9:48 PM

    Depends on what you were doing when the chest pain started...

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  12. LipstickAugust 17, 2009 at 10:14 PM

    ha ha ha ha!!!! Best. Title. Ever.

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  13. ChrisAugust 17, 2009 at 11:33 PM

    What was the name of the church again? Our Lady of the Purple Yogurt Slinger?

    I'm sorry, that was inappropriate.

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  14. Jo ~August 17, 2009 at 11:48 PM

    OhMyWord! I bet he won't ever do that again in a hospital setting!

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  15. CarrieAugust 18, 2009 at 2:54 AM

    Maybe its that I jave a background in psych, rather than medicine, but other than the unintentional embbarrassment, this seems like a healthy response to the situation. I mean, if I had something happen that involved bloodflow and numbness and some loss of control, id be pretty quick wanting to find out what still works. And that area of specialized equipment would be very high on the list...lol!

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  16. ♥ BrajaAugust 18, 2009 at 8:11 AM

    Bless me father for I have .... er .... done something...

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  17. Grumpy, M.D.August 18, 2009 at 8:18 AM

    Chris@Maugaritaville-

    Wow! At my age I thought I'd heard every English language euphemism for winkie there is. But I guess there are always more.

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  18. GingerJarAugust 18, 2009 at 11:14 AM

    OMG sooo funny. I'd hate to be the patient...how about not announcing possible lethal rhythems overhead. I would be anxious if I kept hearing room numbers and stuff overhead! On our unit, usually the V-tach turns out to be vigerous toothbrushing....not quite as funny!

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  19. RehabNurseAugust 18, 2009 at 2:34 PM

    Grumpy:

    I love it! That was just too funny...damned near spit out my coffee here in the local Starbucks.

    Boys will be boys, even if they're ministers. Gotta check the equipment after such a horrible thing.

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  20. The Bus DriverAugust 18, 2009 at 11:56 PM

    if you're "Yogurt" was purple.. i have a sneaking suspicion you would not be seeing a neurologist for this condition.

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  21. Chrysalis August 21, 2009 at 8:06 AM

    You're killing me over here! LMBO (laughing my behind off)

    ReplyDelete

So wadda you think?