Editor’s note: We got so many great story submissions during our EMS week contest, we’ve decided to run a few of our favorite entries. Here is one of our staff’s favorites View all entries here, and check out our grand-prize winner.
By Bob Shick
Laurens County EMS (S.C.)
Early in my career as a paramedic, I was working for Greenville County EMS in the Upstate of South Carolina. I was a new medic, only having my card for about six months. My partner and I responded to a call early one winter evening for a woman in labor.
Upon our arrival the residence was dark and nobody was coming to the door. We were about to leave when we heard a woman call from inside the house. We entered, announced who we were, and heard her call from a back room. The house was completely dark, but was very warm.
I had my Maglite and we found the patient, who proceeded to tell us, “It’s coming.”
I had her lie down on the floor, and asked her when she was due, and try to obtain some history as I was removing her clothing. Her yelling changed from “it’s coming” to, “it’s burning, it’s burning.” Remember we only had a Maglite for lighting.
While the baby was delivering, mom was yelling, “it’s burning, it’s burning.” I’m sweating like crazy trying to deliver this baby. After several tense moments, we delivered the baby, and mom was still yelling “it’s burning, it’s burning.” My partner and I got her on the stretcher, placed the baby in her arms and went to the truck where we had some lights.
After we got in the truck and got the baby wrapped up and cleaned off, got mom on O2 and an IV established, I had a chance to finish my exam. I asked the mother if the burning was better now that she had delivered her baby boy, and she said “It still burns.” I asked her what was burning and she said “my butt!” Upon exam I found a checkerboard pattern burn on my patient’s butt. I asked my partner to go back in the house and see what could have caused this burn pattern.
When my partner came back out I had placed a sterile dressing on the burn, he told me that when we placed the patient on the floor, she laid down on a floor heating vent that was in the shape of a checkerboard. Remember the house had no power, but it did have a very good gas heating system!
Our patient was very understanding and had no complications from the delivery or the burn, and her son did well also.