Peds Wards

Oh wow and ouch are the two words that came into my mind as I stepped into the pediatrics wards. It's so different from our hospital back in the states. The beds are rusty with green sheets and there's some privacy with a curtain. The nurses are all so cute and dressed in white saris with a plastic nurse's type cap on. Very cute. I'm going to have to get a picture of them. The procedure room....let's just say that would never fly by JACHO! They do sterilize the equipments used but everything is cloth and is laid out in the room with the windows open. Today there was a little girl with pleural effusion. First, the resident did a thoracentesis and found empyema and then decided a chest tube was necessary. The way they went about doing these procedures was quite a surprise. First, they do not use anesthesia and will only use localization to numb the skin on a child! The little girl was in so much pain and her eyes were wide-eyed the entire 15 mins with screams in between. Pushing the hemostat with the tube for the chest tube placement into the chest wall while the child was fully awake and had only some localization was quite painful to watch. I can't imagine what can be as painful as feeling a scapel cut into your chest wall and then a metal type probe with a plastic tubing shoved into your chest. OUCH! But brave girl she did it and all that nasty pus is nicely draining out. Oh and the chest tube water/air set up...completely like the original set up back when it was first invented! Very neat!