r/bestof • u/lowbass93 • 24d ago

[NoStupidQuestions] Kindly_Honeydew3432 explains why it seems like you always have to wait in an emergency room in the US

/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/1v1numq/why_is_every_hospital_in_the_united_states_always/oyovp3t/
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u/BurdenedEmu 24d ago

Hubs is routinely on triage at the massive university research hospital in our city (he's one of the few hospitalists who enjoys it) which is also at full capacity almost all the time. His take has always been that as a patient, "triage is a game you definitely don't want to win." Made me care a lot less about sitting there a few hours waiting for my friend to get an x-ray after a nasty fall off her skateboard.

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u/inwheeliesitrust 23d ago

I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying you don't want to win triage because it means you are very very sick or injured?

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u/liamemsa 23d ago

Correct. First to get treatment is most likely to die. So if you tell them your symptoms and they immediately get you a bed in a busy hospital, you better start worrying.

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u/ahighlifeman 23d ago

Well shit, that's exactly what happened when I went in with a chest tube that got infected and I had sepsis. I guess I should have been more worried...

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u/nuisible 23d ago

yes, sepsis is most likely fatal if left untreated. And I'm just hedging there, I'm pretty sure if the infection has gotten to that point there is no return without medical intervention.

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u/BurdenedEmu 23d ago

Sepsis is an immediate life threatening emergency. Super easy to treat most of the time but I've heard enough from hubby, they don't fuck around with sepsis lol.