Clutch Hand

I am a vet tech at an emergency hospital. Night job. We were intubating a dog the other night, Oct 7th, so it was a few other nights ago. Anyway...dog was in congestive heart failure and dying. We were making some attempts to save it, primarily for owner comfort since dogs who are dying from CHF usually do. Intubated the dog...well...the dog wasn't "relaxed" enough for intubation....clamped right down on my left middle finger. Ouch...Took some xrays...no broken bones...probably should have left work since I was on the bike. By morning I figured riding home was going to be difficult. Sure nuff...hand was very swollen in the a.m. and operating the clutch was nearly impossible....A whole lot of cursing and gritting the teeth I made my 23 mile ride and parked the bike. It has been weeks....in the interim...ended up in the hospital and had to have surgery...SUCKED. Got out, lots of bandage changing and the like, well then I really couldn't use my clutch hand. Week and a half after that I started to get some mobility back and what was initially so painful has now become the greatest therapy ever. Working that clutch is rapidly improving the mobility of my hand. And...now that the Deluge has ceased in the northeast for a time I actually got to ride to work yesterday. First day back to work...first day back on my bike. IT IS GREAT. You never know how much you miss something until it is gone. I am looking forward to more therapy tomorrow.

Brian

Glad to hear you are alright. Bites especially human bites are the worst. I'd have thought you would know that and washed [deeply] after being bitten in the first place.

BTW I know what its like to ride again after a very prolonged absence.

a clutch is just like a "suggestion" you don't really need it, just find neutral then shift using the rev limiter, bouce it off that then shift, hahah.................

glad you and your hand are doing better!

Belquar said:

Intubated the dog...well...the dog wasn't "relaxed" enough for intubation....clamped right down on my left middle finger.

Brian

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I'm glad that you are both okay AND that riding is helping in your recovery... but I have one question:

What was your middle finger doing in the dog's mouth? Were you intubating digitally?

My only experience is with humans so I'm not familiar with the technique one would use for animals... I'm very intrigued!

(I do know that the vessels in a k9 run along the top of each rib instead of the bottom so when you decompress it's the opposite that of a human... and here I thought all vertebrates where the same!)

-Xaque-

BubbaZanetti said:

a clutch is just like a "suggestion" you don't really need it, just find neutral then shift using the rev limiter, bouce it off that then shift, hahah.................

glad you and your hand are doing better!

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Actually, if you just pull the clutch in a little to take the pressure off the clutch plate, you're in good shape.

Sounded like a nasty bite there.

KBasa said:

Actually, if you just pull the clutch in a little to take the pressure off the clutch plate, you're in good shape.

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Yes... use your 4th and 5th fingers at the outside end of the lever... squeeze it in a bit and you will be fine.

I hate it when I mung up my bird finger... that's the one I use to feather the clutch off-road.

Hope you're back to better soon.

Ian

Given my guitar playing activities, I've learned to be very careful of my fingers. I cut myself while cooking a few of months ago, had to get stiches, and coudn't play for two weeks. My bandmates were sympathetic, but cheesed.

a dog is much easier

Xaque said:

I'm glad that you are both okay AND that riding is helping in your recovery... but I have one question:

What was your middle finger doing in the dog's mouth? Were you intubating digitally?

My only experience is with humans so I'm not familiar with the technique one would use for animals... I'm very intrigued!

(I do know that the vessels in a k9 run along the top of each rib instead of the bottom so when you decompress it's the opposite that of a human... and here I thought all vertebrates where the same!)

-Xaque-

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When intubating a dog, dorsal is best but lying on the side works just as well. I don't use a laryngascope. Hold the tongue in my left hand with my middle finger, ring finger, and thumb. With my index and pinky fingers behind the upper and lower canines I hold open the mouth. (this is how my hand was so far in the mouth) ET tube in right hand, no stylet, use tip of tube to push epiglottis down and in you go. compress chest to ensure good return on air and ventilate, attach O2, anesthesia, etc. There are other techniques for other people, but our facility is run on a skeleton crew and we don't always get the luxury of assistance when dealing with multiple critical patients.

SFDOC...scrubbed the heck out of it. flushed wound. Doc said my tendon was what got really infected. Tynosynovites (sp) When he did surgery, he peeled the tendon sheath back to debride the wound.
Usually get away with self care , but this one was a doozy.

Belquar said:

When intubating a dog, dorsal is best but lying on the side works just as well. I don't use a laryngascope. Hold the tongue in my left hand with my middle finger, ring finger, and thumb. With my index and pinky fingers behind the upper and lower canines I hold open the mouth. (this is how my hand was so far in the mouth) ET tube in right hand, no stylet, use tip of tube to push epiglottis down and in you go. compress chest to ensure good return on air and ventilate, attach O2, anesthesia, etc.

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Thanks for explaining that! I'm having a hard time understanding why one wouldn't have a high risk of esophageal intubation... can you visualize the epiglottis easily from outside the dog? (without a blade or palpating it?) Eh... not important.

Thanks again!

-Xaque-

Xaque said:

I'm having a hard time understanding why one wouldn't have a high risk of esophageal intubation... can you visualize the epiglottis easily from outside the dog? (without a blade or palpating it?)

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um... this is starting to get gross. i'm starting to feel faint.....

Belquar said:

SFDOC...scrubbed the heck out of it. flushed wound. Doc said my tendon was what got really infected. Tynosynovites (sp) When he did surgery, he peeled the tendon sheath back to debride the wound.
Usually get away with self care , but this one was a doozy.

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Ooooh I hate it when 'THAT' happens. May I recommend a bite-block next time you try that.

Oh, and my experience goes, Bhaaa, Wuff, Meow or speaks english.

Xaque - you should blind intubation on humans much more fun.

Belquar - glad to hear things will be OK...

SFDOC said:

Xaque - you should blind intubation on humans much more fun.

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Hah! You obviously don't know me... (I've done it in no light... laying on the hood of a car... even under fire!)

I just wasn't familiar with animal intubation... that's why I was so curious.

Ahhh... nothing like "talkin' shop."

Ciao!

-Xaque-

Xaque said:

Hah! You obviously don't know me... (I've done it in no light... laying on the hood of a car... even under fire!)

I just wasn't familiar with animal intubation... that's why I was so curious.

Ahhh... nothing like "talkin' shop."

Ciao!

-Xaque-

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Awsome, sounds like starting an IV with NVGs only or only by touch in pure blackness.

Totally cool...

Epiglottis

The epiglottis is very easy to visualize. WHen you stretch the tongue out on most breeds it is not a problem. Some of the brachiocephalic breeds, (pugs, bulldogs, boxers) have elongated soft palates which can make it very difficult to visualize. We did a dog once with a big tumor in the throat that was blocking the airway. One person held the mouth open, the doctor had the tube and couldn't get it in, I stuck my hand in the dogs mouth, poked my finger into the trachea and had the doctor slide it down the backside of my finger and we got it in that way. The tube was just to flimsy to get past the tumor on that dog.

Xaque, your job sounds exciting.

Belquar said:

Xaque, your job sounds exciting.

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Eh. Gives me enough money to own my beemer... that's all I really care about...

(hehe, sometimes its "Hey, I'm on a rollercoaster!" exciting and other times its "Hey, the bank I'm in is beeing robbed!" exciting. But it does keep me young... I don't know how people that wear a suit and tie and sit behind a desk all day do it... to each his own I suppose).

Okay, enough about me.

The whole vet thing really intriques me. After taking human anatomy classes, its neat to see what we have in common with animals. And I can't imagine having to deal with a patient that is essentialy a combative child each and every time.

My hats off to you!

-Xaque-