Day three was my favorite day to say the least. Our biomed program of all ages had the opportunity to meet the nurses on Southflight and the ER. The morning started on our field as the chopper of USA Southflight landed as we sat on the bleachers. My class then went to the biomed lab so we can communicate to the University Hospital ER nurses. They took our case from the previous day and received the call from the Mobile Fire Department for the report. The 45yo mother burn-victim was taken to the ER with 5 & 6 surface body burns (BP of 156/85 heart rate, O2 of 99%, Heart rate of 95, and resp: 20). My peers completed a full body exam to assess the mother. Treating pain early and aggressively has been shown to prevent psychological trauma and healing for the future. Narcotics are given depending on the severity of pain (ex.Fentanyl, Ketamine). Classifying the burns use terminology such as Superficial thickness, partial thickness, and full thickness. In burn injuries, the structure of the skin is learned to be protein-based (which coagulate upon exposure to heat). Superficial thickness is similar to a sunburn, superficial partial thickness goes beyond the epidermis with wet blisters, deep partial thickness burns includes the deep dermis, and full thickness involves every layer of skin and subcutaneous tissue. We performed basic wound care with saline, soap, and water. Keeping the wound moist and dressing the burn is imperative on the healing process. We quickly went over other care options (which we go into detail on day 3) such as Burn Size Estimations, Debriding, Resuscitation, and others when we are taken to the Burn Unit. We called back to the field for our next shift with LifeSouth. We got to step inside the chopper and had an extensive Q&A with the specialized nurses. The specifically qualified nurse uses the chopper to take care of the patient in critical condition while transporting them to a unit quickly. With the limited space, they must act swiftly with an abundance of equipment. There is a weight limit as they are in the air (prisoners may have to have a guard and they must account for that). Their job is very fast-pace as they usually balance jobs outside of the air. The farthest they usually fly is Birmingham! It was an incredible experience talking to all the nurses with their expertise. After all of our questions, we walked back to the bleachers to watch them take flight away from our school!
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