Wednesday, June 06, 2007

but the bag really makes the outfit




I was doing off-site anesthesia yesterday (meaning anesthesia outside of the ORs), basically running around to various units providing my services for traches and cardioversions and such. I was carrying one of the big orange arrest bags with me as I usually do when I'm off-site, which contained all my mobile anesthesia stuff--meds, tubes, emergency crap. Walking into the MICU with my big bag for the next trache on the schedule, I passed by one of the cardiology attendings, who was leaving the unit.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me. "Oh no," he said, alarmed, and started to move out of my way.

It took me a few seconds to realize that the reason he looked at me like I was the Grim Reaper was because not because of me, but because of my bag, which is same one that we bring when we get called for stat intubations and codes. (Code Blue, that is, not, you know, Code Brown. Thankfully, anesthesia services are usually not summoned for those.)

"Don't worry," I assured him, "I'm not here for an arrest. Everyone's OK." He looked somewhat mollified, but still concerned as I rounded the corner, the neon orange arrest bag bouncing on my hip.

Man, who knew it would be so easy to spook people? I should bring this bag with me everywhere, just for intimidation purposes.

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