Emergencies happen anywhere, anytime, and sometimes medical professionals find themselves in situations where they are the only ones who can help. Is There a Doctor in the House? is a Medscape series telling these stories.
Several years ago I was at a local college baseball game with my wife and adult daughter. We were sitting down the third baseline, almost in the outfield. The game had been going on for a little bit, and I became vaguely aware of a woman screaming somewhere over on the first base side.
Dr Steven Flynn
In my head, it sounded like the scream you would make if you saw a long-lost friend and you were surprised. But it got louder and louder. It finally entered my consciousness that maybe I had misinterpreted the scream, and I looked in that direction. There was a commotion, but I couldn't tell what was going on.
My daughter, who was seated next to me, caught on that it was a child choking before I did. For a second, I was sort of frozen. And then my daughter said, "Dad!" That snapped me out of it. I jumped up and headed in that direction.
Now, I don't know if all physicians do this, but throughout my medical career, I've always rehearsed situations similar to this in my head.
