r/emergencymedicine • u/Amazing-Ad8160 • Feb 09 '25
Advice Tips for a difficult death
New attending. Had a gruesome death of a little boy happen in front of me the other day. I will spare the specific details but it was a penetrating trauma. Peds trauma cracked his chest, chest tubes, whole blood, blood on the floor, fingers in the wounds to stop the bleeding, the whole deal. Screaming parents and grandparents afterword. Have two sons similarly aged and I can’t get this out of my head to function normally at home. Just so happened to happen right before a week off so haven’t been back to work yet. Seen what seems like tons of deaths at this point and was never affected to this degree . Never seen a traumatic death of a healthy child though (seen pediatric codes but chronically Ill kids on borrowed time) Any tips for getting over it? How do you deal with bad deaths and making sure you don’t develop ptsd/burn out? I love what I do but if this was any weekly occurrence I would quit.
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u/Mebaods1 Physician Assistant Feb 09 '25 edited Feb 09 '25
Lots of crossover here…
LTC David Grossman, a former U.S. Army Ranger and psychologist, has extensively analyzed the psychological and physiological effects of combat. He underscores the critical role of debriefing in mitigating combat-related psychological stress and enhancing operational performance.
The Psychological Necessity of Debriefing
Grossman states that after-action debriefing functions as a form of psychological first aid, essential for reducing the likelihood of combat stress disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He contends that structured debriefing sessions provide service members with an opportunity to process their experiences in a controlled environment, thereby decreasing the long-term psychological burden associated with combat exposure.
The Role of Social Support and Narrative Processing
Grossman also endorses, the act of verbalizing combat experiences within a structured framework allows individuals to externalize their emotions, facilitating psychological recovery. Group debriefings, particularly those conducted among peers, reinforce social cohesion, normalize emotional responses, and reduce feelings of guilt and isolation. This collective reflection fosters a sense of shared experience, which is instrumental in mitigating psychological distress.