English Comp. 1301 --Paper 1 Assignment
M olitor 1
P eter M olitor
S cott C heney
E N G L 1301
8 February 2015
This Flush: S im plicity, D eath, and W et P ants
This "flush.”
This one in m y hand is just like the others. A 10cc luer lock tipped syringe pre
filled w ith 0.9% sodium chloride, otherw ise know n as “norm al saline.” It’s intended
purpose is to “flush” or clean out the blood from an IV extension tubing. It’s also
com m only used to “flush” or push through m edicine just adm inistered to ensure
com plete delivery. H ow ever, this one is peculiar. This “flush” has an different purpose.
This one in m y hand has a uniquely im portant m ission. These flushes are norm ally
used in situations exactly like w hat w e just w ent through.
D allas Fire and R escue called w hen they w ere five m inutes out. “C P R in
progress,” w as the only report w e received. H eeding as best as w e could, w e gathered
the crash cart, the personnel, the E K G , and IV equipm ent. E veryone knew their role
and responsibility for the cardiac resuscitation. U pon the patient’s arrival, I actually w as
not in charge of the m eds or flushes initially. M y palm s felt the sickening crack of ribs
snapping off the sternum as I com pressed the patient’s xiphoid process, or the bottom
part of the sternum . K eeping a pace of around 120 com pressions per m inute, I pum ped
this poor soul’s chest before alternating every tw o m inutes w ith another param edic,
desperately hoping that her heart w ould get the m em o and begin spontaneous M olitor 1
circulation. The doctor ordered epinephrine. O ur charge nurse drew up the m edication,
connected the syringe to the IV tubing, pushed in the epinephrine, and flushed it
through. C P R continued. E pinephrine doses follow ed by flushes w ere repeated every
35 m inutes. A fter tw enty m inutes of strong, exhausting, determ ined team w ork, the
doctor regrettably called the patient’s tim e of death.
The floor in the traum a room w as a graveyard for used equipm ent. B oxes once
containing m edication vials, em pty syringes, torn w rappers from said syringes, and
m any other articles of trash w ere scattered across the floor. A com bined fifteen
cables/lines from four different instrum ents w ere w oven through one another connecting
to the patient. The counters w ere clustered w ith several extra epinephrine doses and
spare flushes. The m ess in the room w as practically a direct illustration of the sense of
failure w e w ere all feeling after our patient died.
Things around the E m ergency D epartm ent becam e m orose. A great quiet
consum ed the air previously filled w ith cow orkers helping one another and conversing
about w eekend plans. I felt it too. “W e did everything right. W hy couldn’t w e get her
back,” I questioned m yself as I began straightening up. I pondered protocols and w hat
w e could have done differently w hile I sw ept up the trash off the floor. I placed extra
m edications back in the crash cart and an extra flush in m y pocket so I could grab m ore
item s to put aw ay.
W hen I cam e to a stopping point, I stepped out of the room and w alked over to
the nurse’s station. The charge nurse w as charting w hile other nurses w ere standing
around defeated as if their tail w ere betw een their legs. O ne param edic, the guy I M olitor 1
alternated doing com pressions w ith, voiced quite a bit of frustration. “That D allas team
m ust’ve screw ed som ething up on the w ay here. Y ou never really know w hat happens
in the back of an am bulance. They probably dragged their feet getting the transport
going!”
This flush, w hich had been biding its tim e in m y pocket, found its w ay into m y
hand. I discreetly rem oved the plastic w rap, and unscrew ed the cap. Taking careful
aim at M r. N egativity’s rear, I squeezed the syringe, sw iftly spraying the saline.
S uddenly, the negative param edic had w et pants, and in turn, everyone else had a
good, loud laugh. M y victim spun around surprised, “W H A T W A S TH A T?!”
“This flush,” I answ ered nonchalantly.
Laughter carried on as the param edic ran to restroom to dry his pants the best he
could, and I realized suddenly that this little flush, this little plastic syringe filled w ith
m edicinal saltw ater (essentially), had the pow er to turn the tide. O ur night could have
rem ained in sadness, but because of this flush, w e all had som ething to laugh about.
H um or can be a w ay of coping w ith difficulties and dark tim es. It can be a defense
m echanism . It can be an icebreaker. In m y opinion, m ost im portantly, hum or can
unw illingly m otivate us to endure and unknow ingly enjoy those around us.