Medical Advice for a Novel

[DarkCloud]

Hello, I was just wondering if any of you guys with medical knowledge [maybe Dr. Strangelove :hint: :hint: ]could please help me out.

You see, I am currently working on a novel and in one part of the novel, I have to put in a sort of ‘medical scene’ where the characters are trying to deal with someone who is spurting blood.

The situation is like this:

Earlier, Albior was stabbed in the back and chest with a trident... repeatedly. However, his wounds were wrapped tight with triangular bandages and other cloths.

NOW... About a day-3 days later

Albior is lying down on the ground. He has just overexerted himself speaking to Gilwan and starts sputtering blood. The doctor character rushes in and tries to cure him.

Currently; the scene looks like this:

“Albior's sputtering blood!” Gilwan wavered forward worriedly, her feet tapping nervously against the wood as she steadied herself on the beams.

Diamandet jumped to his feet, throwing the reigns to his nephew. “Here boy, take them.” He ordered, pushing past Gilwan.

Inside the wagon, he rushed towards the sputtering Albior. Gilwan worriedly followed. Diamandet approached the man and bent beside him, watching the blood expel from his mouth. Diamandet cursed and glanced around. “Give him room!” He ordered. Gilwan backed off, worrying her hands.
Diamandet raised Albior’s back, chin and nose, opening a breathing passage.

(NEED SOME MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE FOR WHAT TO DO WHEN SOMEONE IS SPUTTERING BLOOD WITH A CHEST WOUND)

“There.” Diamandet sighed, leaning back on his legs. “He will be all right for a time.” He shook his head. “He should not speak for a time. There is too much danger in speaking.”
---
thanks in advance,
-DarkCloud

[BeBMan]

Re: Medical Advice for a Novel

Originally posted by DarkCloud
(NEED SOME MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE FOR WHAT TO DO WHEN SOMEONE IS SPUTTERING BLOOD WITH A CHEST WOUND)

Sorry, there´s no hope. The poor guy is doomed.

[DAVOUT]

Re: Re: Medical Advice for a Novel

Originally posted by BeBro


Sorry, there´s no hope. The poor guy is doomed.

Then replace the medical scene by a forensic scene after the wounded guy said : I give my body to the science, and die.

[SpencerH]

Heres a link to some basic first aid that may tell you what you need to know.

But AFAIK someone coughing blood like that after a chest puncture wound is very unlikely to survive unless gotten to a hospital or magic worker immediately.

[pchang]

medical knowledge

If someone is stabbed and then starts coughing up blood, that means that the wound punctured at least 1 lung. This requires immediate surgery to sew up the internal wounds and blood replacement. This is far beyond what could be fixed in a typical "fantasy" setting without the use of "magic" or some other "miraculous means". Perhaps you should change the nature of the symptoms. Instead of coughing up blood, you could have fresh blood appear on the bandages and have him faint or get woozy. This would mean that his wounds have opened up again and would just require some rebinding. He would also need some fluids to replace what he lost.

[DarkCloud]

Thank you very much SpencerH... there's more to this type of wound than I had first realized. That site is really helpful!

pchang-

If someone is stabbed and then starts coughing up blood, that means that the wound punctured at least 1 lung.

Are there no other reasons for him to be coughing it up... in my scenario, he was OK until he overexerted himself by speaking too much and heaving his chest.

This requires immediate surgery to sew up the internal wounds and blood replacement.

Hmm... Any idea how long that sort of surgery might take with a realtively competent doctor in a middle ages-fantasy type setting?

Instead of coughing up blood, you could have fresh blood appear on the bandages and have him faint or get woozy.

Maybe I'll have to do this instead.

This would mean that his wounds have opened up again and would just require some rebinding. He would also need some fluids to replace what he lost.

Thank you. I can use that advice... I'd like him to be coughing up blood- but if that's logistically impossible, I'll take this suggestion.

I thank you all for your advice.

[Guynemer]

Homeboy is dead.

[Provost Harrison]

I don't think cardiothoracic surgery is a really a goer for the middle ages DarkCloud You could get away with him oozing more blood from a chest wound, as has been said, which could be alleviated with pressure and stopping the site of bleeding, but anything internal like repairing punctured lungs or severed arteries is completely unrealistic for the middle ages...

[pchang]

medical knowledge

If someone is stabbed in the chest and/or back but does not immediately cough up blood, it does not make any sense that he would later cough up blood without further injury. However, coughing up blood could be due to an unrelated cause (like a concurrent TB infection). In general, coughing up blood is a pretty serious symptom that requires immediate medical attention.

[Zylka]

Hello Dark,

Thank you for your question. I am delighted and quite intruiged with your desire to bring an accurate medical potrayal to the relm of fiction.

I'm sure in this situation you know who to call

Ghostbusters

-Doc

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by DarkCloud
Are there no other reasons for him to be coughing it up...

Yes. For example, maybe he got open wounds in his windpipe or esophagus due to unrelated causes

Originally posted by DarkCloud
Hmm... Any idea how long that sort of surgery might take with a realtively competent doctor in a middle ages-fantasy type setting?

Depends on a lot of things. Do you have magick? If not, this is not the sort of surgery a Middle Ages doctor can perform.

Originally posted by DarkCloud
Thank you. I can use that advice... I'd like him to be coughing up blood- but if that's logistically impossible, I'll take this suggestion.

I applaud your attention to details and accuracy. This is rarely seen nowadays. Instead, we would have TV (or movie) scenes where the depicted resembles very little with actuality. Who needs to reseach when they can pull it from their collective posterior?

[Skanky Burns]

"His heart has stopped, use the defibrillator!"
* Zaaaaapp *


This annoys me no-end.

[Dom Pedro II]

I wish I could be helpful here, but I know absolutely nothing about medicine.

I faint at the sight of TLC programs...

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Skanky Burns
"His heart has stopped, use the defibrillator!"
* Zaaaaapp *


This annoys me no-end.

"Look, well done!"

[Pekka]

Chest wound, blood pumping out? Well I guess you need to cover it pretty fast, and be careful there is no air getting in and the injured getting 'air chest'. I don't know... But I guess that's what you're supposed to do if you're shot in the chest and you have to give first aid so that you can then take it to doctor or further help. I can't exlpain it, I can show it though.. maybe I should draw it?