Easy IO

Well I was supposed to hear today about my job, but didn't receive a phonecall. The third referee I asked them to contact hasn't been contacted so it gives me a good excuse to call tomorrow and find out what's happening.

Had a really good resus yesterday, a baby with a heart defect that came in blue and with a horrible blood gas, very acidotic. Was transferred to a PICU at another hospital, but for a while it didn't look like he'd make it.

They used a machine called an Easy IO, it essentially drills an intraosseous (IO) needle in, instead of you having to twist it in yourself, really good bit of kit - makes it a lot easier and is much securer.

An IO needle is one that goes into the bone and into the marrow, it's used in emergency situations when you are unable to gain venous access (You just whack it in the child's leg below the knee and start twisting/corkscrewing it in). Sounds pretty painful, and isn't the nicest sight to watch, but the children are usually so unwell by this point that they're unconscious.

I also had a little look at an open chest - that was pretty cool, and not like what I expected. I wasn't able to get a close look though so couldn't see any of the chest organs. Whenever there is an open chest everyone is the hospital turns up to have a look as it's quite unusual.

I looked after a teenyweeny baby today, was a born a few weeks early but had a really low bow weight and has various other problems including cardiac and renal. I find the littlelittle babies a bit scary, they're so tiny and fragile; I always find holding them awkward, I feel like I'm juggling spindly arms and legs and a huge floppy head.