How to Run a Code Stroke

Southbound on I-75 on a clear Sunday morning, life would never be the same again for the elderly couple. Returning from a summer weekend trip at 70 mph they hit a bridge abutment. They lay motionless in the quiet morning until the first witnesses called 911. Within minutes the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) paramedics arrived as if from the forest in this relatively rural stretch accompanied by fire trucks and state police. Life support measures were started immediately through the shattered windows. Extrication proved difficult but the team was prepared. The Jaws of Life cut and peeled back the roof like a tin can. The state police closed the highway while the firefighters secured the scene from fire risk. Initial assessments were communicated to the trauma center. The helicopter was called in. With absolute minimal scene time the couple was extricated, stabilized, and transported to the waiting arms of the trauma team. The doctors, nurses, and technicians from the Emergency Department (ED), Surgery, Orthopedics, Neurosurgery, and Anesthesiology had been through this many times before. Radiology, blood bank, and the OR were standing by. They divided into two teams upon their arrival and systematically evaluated and treated the victims. The husband died in the resuscitation room, his wife was taken to the operating room and ultimately survived her numerous injuries.