I didn't realize that here in Buffalo the bars don't close until 4 in the morning. When working trauma in Minnesota, usually the carnage started around 2:30 in the morning as the drunks started driving home, the fights broke out, the revelers went home to continue their partying, etc. Here it's much later and last night was a good example of what can happen when the party ends and the fun begins... for us at least.
We'd actually had a good night. Most of the board was clear, and the few patients waiting around were mostly surgery or ortho patients waiting to go to the OR, their room or to have something or other splinted. This was at 0200. Then at 0400 the floodgates, or bar doors, opened.
Within 30 minutes we had:
- drunk brother and sister who needed to be brought in because they were passed out after a university party. The sister when asked if she knew where she was answered with the name of her grammar school.
- guy thrown through plate glass window who luckily was too drunk to realize that his right arm was hanging on, almost literally, by skin and bone. That's going to need a LOT of stitches.
- teenager doing "flaming shots" that forgot to blow out the shot or didn't drink fast enough causing 2nd degree burns to his face and hand. I myself prefer the Lamborghini they serve at the Black Angus near my hometown. Dark green and flaming, you have to drink fast or else your straw will melt.
- two people involved in a drive-by shooting. One was running and got shot in the legs having almost exactly the same injuries as the patient from last night. I saw a 19 year old with a gun shot to the arm. Some more souvenirs to add to their collections.
- two assault victims one of which I saw. He got jumped and beaten up, escaped, then went to find the people that beat him up, and got beaten up again. I hope my colleague had a steady hand while sewing up his eyelid. Some dangerous territory there. I actually assisted the medical student with suturing the other victim's chin. He wouldn't stop talking theentire time, and I kept telling him if he didn't want a crooked scar he'd have to stop. He didn't, but my own obsessiveness made sure he's going to have smallest scar possible.
- And, finally one or two MVC's. Nothing serious.
The other thing I didn't know is that beer can be served at 0800 in the morning. I'll just say that Pano's, which I've mentioned before has good food, really has a nice-priced breakfast. And, after all, nothing goes better than a Molson with steak and eggs at eight in the morning after working the night shift... at least, so I've heard... :D
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