The anatomy of placing a traction pin in the Pediatric ED.

So every now and then there's adult patients that need to go to the pediatric ED for trauma triage and whatnot. They occasionally need traction pins placed...

The first step is informing the nurses that a traction pin needs to be placed...

To which the usual response is: 'You're going to sedate for that, right?'

This is usually followed with a general sense of nursing panic...

I try and start with...

And after an indeterminable amount of arguing...

I finally relent and agree to sedate the patient, which leads to...

And what normally takes 15 minutes and a vial of lidocaine in the ED has not become a hour long ordeal involving multiple health care teams, hundreds of unnecessary health care dollars spent.  Which is why when it comes to traction pins in the Peds ED...

Me: 'I just need you to sign right here.'
Pt: 'I can't move my hand.'
Me: 'You just moved your hand by gesturing that you couldn't move your hand.'
Pt: 'Nope.'

I had my last sign-out as a second year....it...did not...go...well....

I officially start my third year on suspension starting next week...  But then again, I haven't had a weekend off in over 3 months, so....

(With any luck, death by snu-snu)

The feeling of post spica films looking beautiful...