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Medivac 2


skidude

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This is from Skiman600 on the other board.

 

Saturday alittle before dark, the chopper flew two people in a row... 10 GRAND a lift...One only had a broken arm...that must suck...Any details on the other...

Thought I would post it here before the daves deleted it. Anyone got some info on it?

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This is from Skiman600 on the other board.

 

Saturday alittle before dark, the chopper flew two people in a row... 10 GRAND a lift...One only had a broken arm...that must suck...Any details on the other...

Thought I would post it here before the daves deleted it. Anyone got some info on it?

im sure they didnt lift someone out just for a broken arm, like said before, it has to be head or neck truama to fly them out

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Newsflash guys, pre-hospital medical personnell are not doctors. We don't have x-ray vision and can not diagnose injuries in the field. An injured skier possibly needing a flight has to meet certain criteria on the BLS level (in regards to CB anyway, as the Ski Patrollers are only WEC (Winter Emergency Care) certified, some of them are EMT's as well- but not all of them). Basically, you have people with minimal medical training (WEC/EMT's) making the descision to fly a patient in the field based on a quick physical examination.

 

To rule out a head injury or any other internal injury, you need to perform x-rays, CT scan, blood work, etc. None of these are available in the ski patrollers room or even in the ambulance.

 

A lot of times, the descision to fly is made while the person is still wrapped around the tree. Ski-Patrol breaks out the spatula, scrapes them off the slope, packages the person (fully-immobilized) into the sled, and brings him down the mountain. By the time they reach the bottom, the helo is already there waiting. The patient can be in Allentown by the time all the blood is washed off the toboggan.

 

I've flown several people who wound up to be class 3. Sure it's embarassing, but it's always better to err on the side of patient care. I can remember one time in particular. A guy was drunk off his ass and mowing his lawn. He bent over to get a stick out of his lawnmower deck but was too drunk to realize it was still running. So, needless to say, he chopped off three fingers. I arrived in the ambulance and the guy was walking around just fine, his only problem was he was missing three fingers. He was feeling no pain because he was drunk, and was hardly bleeding. I gave him a choice- we can drive you to Easton Hospital where you will definitely loose youir fingers, or we can fly you to LVH CC/I-78 where an operating room is ready and waiting to sew them back on. He choose the latter needless to say. I didn't give a shit about the bill and neither did he- if his fingers were saved, then the cost was worth it.

 

So people flown out with only a broken arm is pretty common. If they struck their head and only have a concussion, they should probably be flown to a trauma center because you can not distinguish a concussion from internal bleeding in the head without a CT scan. Flights out of a ski area are based on a "better safe than sorry" philosophy. If the Ski Patrol witheld the helicoptor for whatever reason and the person became maimed or died, the ski area would be liable for witholding medical treatment when it was readily available.

 

I'm sure CB has a written policy regarding who is flown and who is not. I certainly would rather be safe than sorry if it came to me or one of my family members being injured. I would worry about the bill later.

 

We should thank God we even have a medical helicoptor operating in the area flying us to LVH CC/I-78, or else everyone would have to go to PMC in an ambulance, and leave in a body bag. Yes- that is how bad they are.

Edited by emtp563
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MHC fucking sucks as well. LVH bought it just to turn it into a clinic. They have no pediatric unit, and can not handle any serious patient (trauma/CVA, or MI) after 5 p.m. Every critical pt. or pediatric that comes in after 5 p.m. gets shipped to Cedar Crest for admission. Don't let the CHOP wing fool you, it's only open from 9-5. A minimal staff is kept on-duty after 5 p.m. St. Luke's is getting too big, and LVH wanted a piece of the Bethlehem-area pie. That's the main reason LVH bought Muhlenburg, if they didn't, SLH would have.

 

SLH is building a new hospital at Rt. 33/Freemansburg Ave.(I-78). When that is finished, it will probaly put Easton Hosp. out of business. The only reason why most people in the Easton area even go to Easton is because it is close. Once the new SLH is built, Easton area residents will have another close choice. The only reason why any one in Monroe County goes to PMC is because it is the ONLY hospital in the area.

 

The worst hospitals in the Valley are: (shittiest first- from my point of view)

 

1.) PMC

2.) Muhlenburg

3.) Easton

4.) Warren

5.) Palmerton

6.) Gnadden Huetten

5.) SLH Allentown (Osteopathic)

6.) LVH- 17th/Chew (Allentown General)

7.) SLH- Quakertown

 

The best are:

1.) LVH CC/I-78

2.) SLH- Bethlehem

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Yea Saint Luke's in Bethlehem is much better then Muhlemburg just from my personal experience. I went into the ER one night because i was dry heaving and felt extremely dizzy (possibly a little dehydrated too). i sat there for 4 hours and watched them take people in who came in after me. according to them i wasn't in critical enough condition to be priority. i understand them taking in people who are bleeding, that makes sense, but there were people there with like broken arms and such going in before me. and there i sat feeling like i was going to keel over and die in the wheel chair they let me sit in (i was so dizzy i couldn't walk without falling over). so after sitting there for for hours and waiting i got pissed and left (which pissed off my rents, but i wasn't dealing with that BS any longer). Approx 2 weeks later i received a phone call from Muhlemburg as a follow up to make sure i was OK and wanted to know why i decided to leave b4 getting taken in. i flat out told the guy that their ER was shit and it would never see my business again, i also reminded him that i visit a hospital on at least a yearly basis. anyway, they suck...go elsewhere.

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