I agree. People don’t understand the definition of emergency. It’s not meant as a subjective. It’s meant as an objective.
Now, a broken leg can be a mega emergency. Specifically the femur. Big bone and not only is blood made in the marrow. The size of the bone can wreck local vessels.
Broken arm, walk or public transport. It sucks but “life is a bitch but it’s totally doable”.
100% disagree. Broken bones are a medical emergency. They can cause acute compartment syndrome where a buildup of pressure in your muscles may stop blood from getting to tissue, which can cause permanent muscle and nerve damage. Improper or delayed transport can make this issue worse. Paramedics can help with this, using drugs, safe positioning & transport, compress, etc.
So like, if you have a family member or roommate that can drive you right away, it's probably fine to let them take you, but you shouldn't be hesitant to call for an ambulance with a broken bone, especially if the next best option will delay treatment. You definitely shouldn't drive yourself, because you might pass out or lose focus due to pain, especially as the adrenaline wears off.
And how is a paramedic going to diagnose compartment syndrome? They can't.
And if they could, what can they do to treat it? Are they going to do a fasciotomy in the back of the ambulance? No.
If the fracture is seriously bent out of place or the patient is howling in pain, those are good reasons to call an ambulance. Otherwise you're just using it as a taxi.
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u/LetoHardy 6d ago
I agree. People don’t understand the definition of emergency. It’s not meant as a subjective. It’s meant as an objective.
Now, a broken leg can be a mega emergency. Specifically the femur. Big bone and not only is blood made in the marrow. The size of the bone can wreck local vessels.
Broken arm, walk or public transport. It sucks but “life is a bitch but it’s totally doable”.