Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Fanfic Related EMS question (and others)

I'm not sure if this is the right section for this, but it seems like a lot of people ask this type of question here. Sorry for the amount of questions.

If there are any doctors out there (or anyone who can answer this, actually) :

I was trying to write a story where a person gets hit in the head from the back, leaving a wound on the base of the head (just above the neck). This person becomes unconscious, but is alive, with heartbeat and breathing. If someone called 911, what would be the procedure of the paramedics in attending to this person? Would they first immobilize their neck, or treat the wound, or...?

In the hospital, would they keep the neck immobilized until the person wakes up, or after making sure the vertebra is intact?

Also, is it possible for him/her to lose their sight (become blind) in such a situation? Would it be reversible (heal by itself)?

Thanks for your help!

malu

Hey there,

The EMS would definitely put a C-collar on the person after a head wound (back of the head) - immobilize the neck. They would also apply pressure to the site of wound to stop the bleeding and then apply a temporary dressing to site until they reached the ER.

After the person gets to the hospital, the neck needs to remain immobilized until they can 'clear' him - make sure his cervical spine is stable. Usually that takes until they're awake, but they would also get neck X-ray films and with a head injury they'd get a head CT (CAT scan).

As far as loss of vision - an injury to the back of the head could fracture the skull in the back. The occipital lobe is important in processing vision, so damage to that area from the trauma could cause loss of vision. If the injury is from actually direct damage to the brain tissue, it would most likely be permanent. I suppose potentially the injury could just be from swelling, and once the swelling goes down the vision could return.

Hope this helps,
Jill

Thanks, Jill, you're wonderful!

I was thinking of writing a story about Lois suffering such trauma and becoming blind (temporarily ). Probably with a Second Season Lois, not knowing that Clark is Superman and just being best friends with him. Of course, revelations and declarations of love could be involved.

Has anybody ever written such story before?

malu

Also, related to temporary blindness,

If the blindness was due to brain swelling, then the person would not leave the hospital until the swelling goes down, right?

malu

Okay...this is terribly off topic, but I'm a lot confused.

The first time I read this, I was amazed at the medical knowledge that Anna seemed to have been hiding. Read Malu's "Thanks, Jill" and did a double take. This makes a more sense now... but wasn't Jill visiting Laura? My brain's about to combust.

Sara (who is postitve that it was that darned dancing banana who threw her off in the first place )

This is incredible, but I'm writing a alike story just now. I just began, then will take a LOT more time until get it finished, because it's my first attempt to write a fanfic.

The theme is blindness, too, but the story line is different. My story begins in the first season. I didn't read any story with this theme before, this's because I decided write. What a coincidence!

I think there was a challenge issued a while back to write a story where Lois is the one who is temporarily blinded instead of Clark in I can't remember the episode right now. I have a vague outline -- with no actual story written -- about a story where Lois is temporarily blinded. However, I am pretty sure I've never seen one written.

And I would assume that a person wouldn't be released from the hospital with swelling on the brain -- but I could be mistaken. I think that any kind of trauma to the occipital lobe could cause blindness. The visual pathway is really complex. I think a lession or swelling anywhere in the visual pathway might lead to some kind of blindness.

- Laura

Yeah, what Laura said is right. They'd stay in the hospital until the swelling decreased (doesn't necessarily have to be gone all the way). Usually with swelling in the brain there will also be altered level of consciousness, so until the person is conscious, coherent and acting like themself...and probably a bit after that too.

And any injury along the visual pathway (from the eyes -> optic nerve -> they combine and cross-over, run along the sides and then to the back - occipital lobe), would result in some level of blindness...I'm not going to go into hemianopsias and losses of parts of fields of vision.

I don't think they can keep you in the hospital without your consent unless they declare you incompetent. So Lois and the doc might have a disagreement on when she can leave.