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Paramedic Allows Trainee to Try and Save Patient Who Was Already Dead
The Telegraph via YellowBrix
November 01, 2009
UK – John Backhouse drove the ambulance to hospital while his junior colleague tried to resuscitate the patient with CPR and adrenalin.
Unknown to the trainee the man had already passed away.
Backhouse insisted he had already told his colleague that the patient had died and claimed that leaving him with the body was “a perfect life experience example”.
The paramedic had let another trainee deal with two other severely ill patients in the back of an ambulance – a collapsed pensioner and a very sick baby.
He was found guilty of misconduct in relation to the three patients and suspended for 12 months by the Health Professions Council.
After ruling that his fitness to practise was impaired, chairman, Gordon Sutehall said: “Backhouse had formed the concluded view that the patient was dead and was beyond hope of resuscitation before the journey to hospital was commenced.”
Backhouse and the trainee known as JG attended a dying patient in Leeds on August 11, 2006 when they were working based at Leeds Ambulance Station.
DCPR
15 days ago
44 comments
This was a total lack of respect to the patient and the profession. We are expected to respect both at all times. For training... this is the reason the mannequins exist, get one and use it. I would not suspend him for a year, I would send him packing for a new profession, like crap yard worker, where he can play with his clients... i.e. old cars.
gpriest
20 days ago
4 comments
I would like to know how long the person had been dead. I have performed CPR on hundreds of patients and they were all already dead.
talisaqc
21 days ago
380 comments
Who knows what their protocols are, but one thing is quite obvious: the guy made a mistake. Hope his "break" will knock some sense back into him.
FireRescue7
21 days ago
18 comments
its the coroners job to get a body, should have never been in that ambulance
badazzfireman
21 days ago
4 comments
I agree with Blue Light Jim same with us we work them till we get to the hospital we cannot call a tim only a jp or md
AustinLowe
21 days ago
98 comments
Well, it happened. And I think a year is a bit excessive. But I do think that new guy will become a better Emt because of it. Just shouldn't have happened that way.
BlueLightJim
21 days ago
4 comments
If it was strictly for training purposes, then yes, I'm against this.
However, my ambulance company often works a patient all the way to the hospital unless it's an obvious code.
parageneric
21 days ago
2 comments
We used to make the newbie ride with the body, but we always respected the body, never allowing experimentation ..... I thin he just needed a break and the council gave him that
marti64
21 days ago
8 comments
NOT right!!!
TSPOON
22 days ago
232 comments
wow...crazy
justinmercier13
23 days ago
224 comments
word
medicchick4123
23 days ago
70 comments
He should have never just left the guy back there to do his thing...You either work the pt. fully or you don't do it at all. One or the other, you don't lt the new guy get back there and "play" for experience...That's exactly what it sounds like happened. I also will say that for the most part, I do not believe in performing "mercy codes", so if the guy was dead they should have left it at that. It gives the family false hope, and I agree with the guy that said it's disrespectful to the corpse.
Captain367
23 days ago
6518 comments
That is not the way to train trainer need to be disciplined
nl8718
23 days ago
1076 comments
That in my opinion is disrepectful to the patient who passed away and their family.