Legionowo. A drunk man was waiting in an ambulance in front of the hospital. Until he sobered up

The ambulance crew in Legionowo tried for several hours to transfer the unconscious man to the hospital. After four and a half hours of waiting for a vacant place at the facility, the patient regained strength and went home.

The medical rescue team from Serock received a call to a man in need of urgent help on Saturday after 6 p.m. On site, in one of the catering establishments in the Legionowo district, rescuers found an unconscious man sitting in an armchair.

He was breathing, but it was impossible to wake him up

The initial examination showed that the patient had preserved basic vital signs, such as heart rate and breathing. After an ECG examination, heart disease was ruled out, and other people present at the scene assured that the man had not suffered any injury.

The content of the report recorded by the medical dispatcher showed that the man was not moving and it was impossible to wake him up. The person talking to the dispatcher also reported that the injured party had been drinking alcohol.

The head of the emergency medical team decided to transport the unconscious patient to the hospital. The dispatcher directed the ambulance to the nearest Hospital Emergency Department, i.e. the Military Medical Institute in Legionowo.

They were waiting for a vacant seat

According to our information, the doctor on duty, due to the lack of free beds in the Emergency Department, ordered the patient to wait for a place to become available in the ambulance, under the observation of paramedics. During the several-hour stop, “fluid therapy was implemented” and the man regained consciousness, which allowed rescuers to conduct a medical interview with the patient. The injured party could not say how much alcohol he drank, but after another several dozen minutes of waiting, he felt so well that he refused further help. From the ambulance he called a friend, with whom he went home.

The emergency service ended after four and a half hours of waiting in the hospital driveway.

Problems with drunk patients

The emergency medical team was involved in helping a drunk patient for a long time. There are more similar interventions.

– Interventions with patients after drinking alcohol, especially those who are unconscious, are difficult – explains Dorota Glinicka, president of the management board of the Private Health Care Center in Legionowo, whose structures include the local emergency service. – We never know for sure whether a person is unconscious due to a large amount of alcohol consumed or a life-threatening injury or disease – he adds.

According to the services, rescue teams respond most to drunk people on weekends.

– If the patient is drunk but conscious, you can talk to him and perform tests at the scene of the intervention. When it turns out that his life is not in danger, the city guard is called and the patient is taken to a sobering-up center, where he is provided with professional care – explains Piotr Owczarski, spokesman for the largest Provincial Emergency Service Station in the country “Meditrans” in Warsaw. – When a person is unconscious, it is necessary to transport him to a hospital in order to perform basic tests that will allow him to assess his health condition – adds Owczarski.

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