Cocaine and a minor

So a few people have read my list of Things I've Done and asked how did I manage to give a kid cocaine. For those of you who haven't yet heard the story, you might be shocked and horrified, but as nothing bad happened, it actually turned out to be pretty funny afterwards.(This is quite a long post, so be patient.)

SCENE: Busy casualty at 20:00pm on a Saturday
Enter Mom with 6 year old boy, who cut his chin after falling off a swing-thing at the Spur.

Examination revealed a 2cm laceration on his chin ie. really small cut, but needs stitches.
I set about getting everything ready and asked the sister to get me some medication to sedate him slightly as kids tend to freak out when you give them stitches.
Now, this is how I actually caused the problem. I often help the nurses when its busy, or they are lazy, by doing their jobs. Stupid, I know, but I like to get things done quickly and sometimes its just easier to do it yourself.

I see a syringe by the bedside, assume it's the sedation, and pop the liquid into his mouth (RETARD move 1)
I insert the stitches and send them off home, asking them to come back in two days, for a wound check.
Sister is meanwhile searching for something, muttering "where is my LAC?" I have no idea what LAC is and ignore her. (RETARD move 2)


About 2 hours of utter chaos pass by, with me seeing patients at a rapid rate, when I get a phone call from the little boy's mom.

"I don't know what you gave John (not his real name), but he hasn't shut up and won't go to sleep. He's driving me nuts. What should I do?"

"Bring him in and I'll have a look at him," I answer while going "shit, shit, SHIT!" in my head.

I suddenly put two and two together and find the sister.

"What is LAC, and did you find yours?"

"It's lignocaine, and no I can't find the syringe."

OK, firstly lignocaine is a local anaesthetic which in private, they put onto the wound to numb it, instead of having to inject the child.
Secondly, it shouldn't be given orally, but such a small dose, shouldn't cause major problems.

BREATHE.......so this isn't too bad.

Mom brings the child back. I explain what happened, admitting my retard moves. I then look at John.
He is wriggling, non-stop. Hyperventilating. And rambling at a rapid pace.

"Mom, mom...I have to tell you a secret. Its about my chin. Blood is going to explode out of it, if I don't whisper....Mom, mom...I have to tell you a secret..."

(imagine this on repeat)

"It's almost as if he's on a high", I thought to myself. "Strange!"

He seemed to be fine, beside the constant chatting about blood and his chin. I give him some real sedation, which doesn't end up working and they end up going home after about an hour. (Retard move 3)

Two days later, I get an email from the head of the unit, asking me to write an incident report on what happened with John Green on the night I saw him. I write a report of exactly what happened. I get a reply immediately.

"Firstly, LAC is not lignocaine only, but Lignocaine-Adrenaline and Cocaine.."

OH HOLY SHIT!

"...The mother did want to sue, but I have convinced her not to, and told her it was an honest mistake. Secondly, you should have admitted the child for observation given the extreme nature of the medicine he was given."

"OMG I'm going to get fired," I think to myself.

If you screw up in the Government sector, nothing will happen to you. You could kill a patient, a no one will bat an eyelid. This is private, where fortunately, there are consequences for your actions.

Nothing ended up happening to me and I definitely learnt a lesson. I now have a brilliant story for dinner's with friends.


xoxo