The Emergency Room: A Window into Us | Louis Profeta | TEDxWabashCollege

I don't remember the first time I told a mother her child had been killed I can't see his face the color of his skin but I can feel it thick I remember the first time a father pleaded with me to help get his daughter off a heroin or the first time you came running in with your child laughing and giggling but you were in a panic because he had swallowed a piece of dog food or kind of raisin stuck in his ear and I don't remember the first time I I watched maggots have neglected wound her the first baby I delivered I don't recall the first time I sutured anybody up I do remember this time work I figured out that sky spoke Ukrainian because that was the country he pointed to on the map and try as I can i I can't picture my first alcoholic patient the first time I I told you you had cancer I can't see my first heart attack victim I do remember this homeless lady once I got her descent it has settled for a turkey sandwich because we were all out of cheese sticks and I don't remember who you're whoo you were like stood in front of you and I thought to myself if only I could keep you breathing keep your heart beating a little longer perhaps just perhaps somebody else could use that heart for that liver those kidneys and I don't remember your name I don't remember who you were but I remember holding your hand as you died but the cell phone propped up against your ear so you could at least hear the whispers of the voices of somebody that you loved from a thousand miles away I don't remember your name I'm just a simple ER doc no different than thousands of others like me right now across America that are working around the world for that matter keenly aware how privileged we are how blessed we are to do a job that is so amazing rewarding complex tragic frustrating uplifting life-changing it's kind of magical amazing when you think about it the ER is the only place in the world where every single facet of society comes together under one roof the only place eventually that is you want to spend a day will come with me see it it's really quite amazing it's really quite magical and it hides just beyond those doors are you pastoral care John yeah nice to meet you who do we have in the in the client room right now only in the mother only mom nobody else she have any idea yeah and they'll give me a second all right let's go miss Williams I'm dr. Profeta I am so sorry but my keys died let her fall it's okay I know it's okay let her scream it's all right I'm gonna be here all day Namir a soundless door this is John he's free pastoral care I know I know he's gonna help you out with everything he's gonna take care of everything for you today but I'll be right outside if you have any questions for me and John can take over I'm so sorry Annie get back in bed close that up close that nobody wants to see that get back in bed I know your God the Redeemer you've told me five times this month alone you've got to take your meds Annie you've got to take your meds I don't know I'll look maybe we have a turkey sandwich in the nutrition room I I ate a lot of the cheese sticks earlier I'll check if we have a CMS I'll get you to see her mister get back in bed Annie you gotta take your meds Annie you've got to take your meds well that's a heck of a cut you got there on your arm how'd it happen all right you don't have to tell me we got to get that sewn up not too confident I'm gonna be able to save that swastika dude I gotta ask what what what's with all this I mean it's got to be impossible for you to apply to a job let alone get into grad school I get it it's your way of expressing independence okay I get it I'm not offended no really no besides I ain't no Russian is that what you said you do know that swastika is our turn hey swastika came together fine looks good all right we'll see in a week yeah no man it's all right fist bump okay just come back no you don't have to bring me anything you want to bring me beer sure what kind of beer you bring me I caught you they don't even make Blatz beer anymore her water broke I wouldn't worry about it trust me we're not going to deliver a baby today we never deliver baby so water breaks all the time they always say they're in labor we never have to deliver OB will page OB they'll be down here they'll deliver baby it's not gonna be a problem let's go and take a look oh my that's a head and she just speaks Spanish that's a cabeza need some gloves give me some gloves don't push no and pookay got it all right in pookay okay oh oh click cut the cord cut the cord oh boy he's really crying look we delivered a baby pretty cool oh yeah Oh Felicia toss Sione's it too uh what's the boy hijo you know 10d ace of everything one of that but the ace of everything else the congratulations I adopt healthy fight sob sorry Bob Lee I just bought these shoes you were maybe a minute away from being dead maybe you are so fortunate the police were there to give you the antidote I mean this is what the second time this week I tried to get you help we had social services can't come in here try to get you help it's not working so this time what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna send you home with a body bag and the next time you inject heroin do it at least inside the body bag this way you won't so your mom's couch when you die it's a good start I mean you came in you came in looking for treatment for your alcoholism let me get you some help come on you made it this far you got through the doors let me just call somebody get you you're not gonna be able to quit on your own you're not you know it and I know it you got any kids a little girl really what's her name Ashley five if you don't let me get you some help pretty soon somebody else is gonna be helping Ashley with their homework walking her to the bus stop seeing her go to prom seeing her get married and that somebody is not going to be you you were gonna become nothing more than a couple photographs a fleeting video segment in a wedding video montage let's get you some help all right good yeah sometimes we have to be tough cup of coffee all right well hi what's your name ah what do you have in your old nose how old are you I was that many when I was your age is that uh is that a Lego it's almost a Lego policeman yes I see well why did you put that up here you're trying to hide it from your brother were you trying to take his leg you have what up your nose like the battleship like the game battleship Oh No thank goodness that's just a PT boat you got pegs in your ears - what's he speak I mean doesn't look like he's hurting too much but that's not Chinese what does that he's speaking yeah hold up Google Maps what's he pointing to is that Burma this Burma language it's a Burmese is that well call upstairs a hospital see if there's somebody in the hospital speaks Burmese or if that doesn't work call the language line and let me get get me a translator for him it looks like he's pretty stable and while you're at it I got a patient nine the 90 to help with you get me a translator I got this woman in there I just went Master what's wrong with her and she says well you know doctor said I just feel blah help me out a little bit I mean like the sore throat headache belly pain you know I just feel yeah blah yeah I looked it up I'm with the Google Translate I typed in blah I said see ya you think we have a biologist we could call Gosselin staff ow help me out oh goodness how old is he yeah he's about my kids age I take it he wasn't wearing a helmet it looks like we got his blood pressure stable he's got family coming in I had this buddy it's a liver transplant surgery and he asked me the other day he says hey you remember that dumb that guy you gave me a brain bleed a couple months back I said mmm this tall guy blonde oh yeah I remember we came in harvested em you remember something I remember I saw his liver in clinic today his livers doing great so well late for his family come in and maybe his tragedy may be somebody else's salvation yes there Smith I understand you're having trouble with your bowels today yeah what's that it's not a photograph no I see it it's photograph of your bowels yeah no no I don't need the video I their page in the overhead can I'm gonna come out and talk to you a little bit more in just a bit don't laugh pre cell phones dad been scooped up putting the Tupperware and brought in let me see that EKG is that who I think it is and he's a pretty powerful guy here in the city and what kind of names on every building it seems like really good talking sir I'm dr. Profeta I just got your EKG you need to get it in your cocky real quick but you're having a heart attack and we've got to get you off to cath lab right now and get that vessel opened up and you know keep you alive and no no sir I know who you are I mean I okay yeah sure I'll get it your doctor call but we got to get you to cath lab now in no sir no sir I know you're on the board of this hospital you know everybody here but it doesn't matter we've we've got we've got cardiology we're waiting to take you to the cath lab now and sooner the better no sir I think I'm well aware that the chief of staff is when you're best friends but he's an orthopedic surgeon sir we need to get you to cardiology we need you get you cath lab right now would you want to leave the room for a second sort of look at me you know and I know how terrified you are right now you know you're not fooling me you need to let go you need me to take over to be the boss let me do my job because if you don't you are going to die good okay guys quit get back in here give him aspirin getting plastics get in the cath lab before he insists I call the Pope I got great news great news got your cat stand back got your blood work back I don't see any signs that your cancer is back you know it's okay it's all right sir it's all right yeah okay it's okay yeah no problem you're gonna see your grandkids grow up no worries you should buy some green bananas just on the way home see him right then you'll be around you're just bruised up a couple little broken bones and your foot you're gonna be fine you're lucky a lot of times you know people getting these bike accidents they're not so lucky at you so yeah you know you're not gonna die no you're gonna be fine trust me calm down you're not gonna die you're honest you can tell your family when they get here that you love them because you're not going to die I'm pal you're not gonna die you're not gonna die do you have any idea how much paperwork it is if you die I want to get home my wife's making turkey burgers no boys she pasty mushy about 1995 from a nursing home he's already family here nobody in town I mean she's with that blood pressure and that heart rates you probably should probably die within the hours I I can't sit in here with her I got a lot going on out there and you've got to take care of that motorcycle accident next room over hey you medical student come here what's your name Sarah he's her I need you to do me a favor I need you to come in here and sit with this lady for will your shift ends in ten minutes no Sarah today it doesn't end in ten minutes you see this woman sitting here sir you know who that is that is the greatest generation that ever lived they liberated the world from fascism they sold war bonds they rationed sugar they died at Guadalcanal and iwo jima and the are Dan and Omaha Beach and do you have an iPhone you know like one of those apps like Spotify or Pandora Spotify okay I want you to look up something by like Benny Goodman or Glenn Miller something with little but not like oh just once you turn it down low and I want you come in here Sarah and want you to sit with her for a little while and I want you to put the phone by your ear and I want you to hold her hand and I want you to take care of this little girl because um Sarah that's somebody's little girl you have kids you will someday that's somebody's little girl and I'm gonna tell you something Sarah she loved that little girl when she was born and she looked like a little girl and she was five when she was fifteen well she loved her just as much as when she was fifteen when she was 30 she loved her the same when she was 30th the day she was born and when she was 50 the famous when she was 5 and when she was born and and when she was 70 and now that she's 90 she loves she loves her just as much and she'd fight with God heaven above for a chance to come down to earth there and they'll hold her in her arms and a rocker gonna kiss her cheek and hold her tight and put her face in her hair and tell her it's gonna be ok it's gonna be ok you think you can do that sir thank you that's the emergency department that's what you thought it's more than just runny noses sore throats you casual gunshot wound the heart attack we see on TV it's much more than that it's us it's an incredible mosaic of the human condition it's everything we are it's every emotion you have ever had it's every emotion you will ever have it's spiritual it's mystical it's complex it's comical it's tragic it's wonderous but overall its magic lies just beyond those doors you [Music]

Channel: TEDx Talks

Views: 216,567

Keywords: TEDxTalks, English, United States, Health, Medicine, Relationships

Id: ViFJCFet1UE

Length: 19min 20sec (1160 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 22 2017