It had ben a slow night, the usual mix of minor trauma and accidents but nothing to get the blood really pumping. Suddenly, the EMS radio went off.
"Twenty-ish white male with stab wound to the left anterior chest. Blood pressure eighty palpable. Pulse one forty. ETA seven minutes. We'er IV positive with Ringers wide open".
The mood in the room changed instantly. Nurses began preparing for the arrival of the patient. The trauma team arrived just as the ambulance was pulling up to the dock.When I looked at the unconscious young man, I realise he was about my age.I had never seen so much blood a scarlet trail leading from the ambulance back door all the way to the gurney he was placed on.
My job as being a forth -year medical student was basically to stay out of the way and not do anything to disturb the people who knew what they were doing, so I stayed in the background and observed.
The trauma surgeon immediately took charge. He made it clear that the heart or aorta had most likely been penetrated, and in addition to needing a lot of blood, the patient's chest had to be opened. As preparations were being made, one of the nurses spoke up.
"This patient can't be given any blood. He's a Jehovah's Witness.It's right here in his wallet". she held up his card.
Things came almost to a standstill. The noisy trauma room became silent. The traume team surgeon either did not hear the nurse or [more likely] ignored her. "Let's get that O-negative up here stat".
The nurse stood her ground. "I said he doesn't want any blood, I'm a Jehovah's Witness too. You know our belief about blood transfusions.I won't let you give that patient blood!"
The surgeon and nurse were now face to face. She wouldn't back down. I'd never seen anything like it."If this guy doesn't get blood, he'll die no matter what we do," he said, raising his voice. "You know every second counts".
She looked back at the rest of us, then back to him. "If you give him blood, he would rather be dead. He signed his card. You have to honour his wish.
No blood had arrived yet anyway. so the surgeon turned to opening the young man's chest, hoping to stop further blood loss. As the patient's chest was opened, blood was everywhere; on the floor in puddles, on the walls, even on the ceiling. The young man's injuries were so extensive that he died before we could get a transfusion near him.
In some small way I thought the nurse had won.
The irony came later in the evening, when the police arrived.The young stab wound victim was not a Jehovah's Witness at all.
He was a thief. He had stolen the wallet.
The comment one of the staff made was, "It doesn't pay to steal a wallet from one of Jehovah's Witnesses