ODD EMS/911 CALLS
Paramedics See Some Bizarre Sights When Responding to People’s EMS/911 Calls
A cautionary tale about medication use

A paramedic friend of mine once attended a 911 call where he found a woman feeling faint and disoriented at home. When asked if she’d taken any medications, she replied,
“Yes, just my Nitro patches.”
Doctors prescribe Nitro, or Nitroglycerin, to treat chest pain or angina symptoms. Nitro is a vasodilator medication which opens up blood vessels. It can cause a drop in blood pressure and make a person feel lightheaded and dizzy.
When asked how much Nitro she’d used, the woman lifted her sweater to reveal a chest covered in Nitro patches. My friend asked why she’d applied so many patches, and she said,
“Well, I noticed they were about to expire, and I didn’t want to waste them.”
“Aha!” he said. It’s no wonder you’re feeling a little faint!”
There is no need for me to spell out the lesson here.
Thanks for reading, and thanks to Ian Mac for passing on this story. 🙂
