I had a call the other day. 52 y/o male, at a bus stop c/c “liver pain”. Pt stated he has a hx. of Hepatitis B & C and admits to ETOH. Pain is “13/10” started apx. 12 hrs ago, after he had started drinking. It looked like business as usual, another drunk, another faithful transport.
Then, Once I got him in the back and situated he started complaining that he couldn’t breath too well, and consequently started breathing heavily. I put him on a NRB, take his vitals so that I could give a quick entry note to the hospital, and the next time I look up he’s unconscious, and barely breathing. His vitals were normal ( I don’t remember exactly but something like 130/90, HR 80 RR 24). I found the pt. to be unresponsive to verbal and painful stimuli. I set the stretcher down flat, ripped the mask of his face look listened and felt for apx 10 seconds while grabbing a pulse, still had one, but his breathing was little to none. I hollered to my partner, no ALS available. I inserted an OPA, and began bagging, after apx. 30 secs to a min, pt. began gagging on the OPA, which I removed, however respiration's were still inadequate, so I continued bagging to the hospital.
Once there however my partner came around back, and asked me if he was faking, I told him I didn’t think so, although @ this point he did seem to be having some purposeful movement, while still keeping up the unconscious pose. We tried the “arm test” and sure enough it fell conveniently away from his face, leading my partner to believe that he was faking. Inside the hospital, the RN staff was saying that he’s a frequent (I’ve never taken him before) and that he does this all the time. I gave my report including the fact that he tolerated an OLP for apx. a minute as well as artificial ventilations, and they said they weren’t sure what was really going on this time. After completing my paperwork I poked my head in to drop off the hospital copy, and he was conscious and asked if I was the man on the ambulance who helped him. When I told him I was he thanked me, making me feel that perhaps I had accomplished something. However I couldn't help wonder in the back of my mind that maybe I had been taken for a fool.
So what do you think, faking or no? Does anyone have experience w/ conscious patients tolerating airways and ventilation like that? I’m a rookie, so I just went with what I thought had to be done, but who knows, it could have all been a show.