Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Bleeding day...

Today is really the "bleeding" day...
Cos we used up so many blood products today...

First was the orthopod team next door... I don't want to comment about the surgeon or go into details what's happening intra operatively.... That patient had massive bleeding intra op and unstable... Massive blood transfusion given.. The patient was transfused total 30 pints of blood (packed cells) and 3 courses of DIVC regimes (1 course DIVC regime = 2 unit Fresh Frozen Plasma, 4 unit platelets, 6 unit cryoprecipitates). He was transfused another course of DIVC regime post op.. Counting how many pints of blood products given to this patient.. 78 pints till this moment, and the patient will still needs more blood products later on..

I'm doing a neurosurgical case, and my case needed blood transfusion as well.. 8 pints of blood and 1 course DIVC regime.. There was surge of massive bleeding in just a short period of time cos of sinus tear.. Patient went into hypotensive for a short period of time but I manage to bring up the blood pressure and stablise the haemodynamic status fast with rapid resuscitation with fluid(colloids) and blood products.

Another case next door is the uro case, nephrectomy with bleeding intra op as well.. needing something like 7 pints blood transfusion...

What a day !!! I can say that today is really a tiring day for everyone... Everyone was so tired by the end of the day...

Today, the blood bank was really "drained" by all these cases... Hope the blood bank won't "dry up" soon .. :(

12 comments:

cooknengr said...

What'up Doc, how many pints of blood does an adult hold ? I asssume this is British pint (20 Oz) instead of American Pint( 16 oz) right ?

Chen said...

cookengr,
Here, we just called "one packet" of blood as "one pint" :) Normally one packet of blood is around 300 to 400 ml.. I don't know how much is that in Oz :)

Normal adult blood volume is around 70ml/kg.. A normal adult can tolerate about 10% loss of blood volume.

hornbill said...

em... i hate blood...feel like want to pengsan if i saw blood...

Jellyfish said...

and i thought what bleeding
hahahaha

Sharl612 said...

Chen,
I have always wonder about those TV comical programs showing people faint when they see blood. You ever encounter such "see blood and faint" people in your doctor career?

Chen said...

Hornbill & Sharl612,

Yeah.. there's indeed lotsa people who cannot stand blood.. They get nauseated feelings or vomiting or fainting episodes whenever seeing blood..

I have few colleagues as well, including nurses/medical assistants/doctors as well who can't stand blood earlier on when they are still in training school/ medical student time, but since they step their feet in this field already, they have to overcome their fear & phobia towards blood :) There are ways to overcome actually, if one is really determined to do so, but it's not easy loh..

jelly,
what are u thinking of ah? cheh :P

Palmdoc said...

Hmm. Massive bleeding in an orthopod surgical setting? Most unsual. Usually it'll be the Obgyn or Intrabdominal op bleeders. 78 pints must be some kind of world record.

Chen said...

palmdoc,
Mmm... yeah, it sounds weird, right?
But it happened few times already over here in orthopod surgeries..
Damn scary lah....

Palmdoc said...

Same Orthopod? ;)

Chen said...

palmdoc,
yeap.. same orthopod :(

Linx said...

Ur life seems so interesting and exciting... Saving life is great! Blood bank are meant to be given out to those who need them lolz..

Chen said...

Linx,
Well, it's tiring & exhausting as well ;)