Clothes cut or taken off during emergency trauma exam

Hey ,

I‘m curious about how it would be being delivered by EMT into ER. Are they cutting my clothes off or taking them off?

I kinda like the fantasy of my clothes being cut off.

What do you guys think?

Depends on the extent of injury. If your are unconscious or it would cause more injury to assist in taking them off they more then likely will be cut off. If it is a minor illness or injury most people will be allowed to take them off themselves, or assisted.

Yes anytime you are a trauma patient, the trauma team immediately cuts off all of your clothes and does a thorough head to toe physical exam to assess your injuries while you are fully naked. Of course it is the interest of saving your life and treating you, however patients who have been through it often feel it a bit demeaning and embarrassing for obvious reasons.

Lost a custom made T-shirt in the ER about two years ago. But that was because, I had one foot in the grave, the other on a banana peel and my finger on death's door bell. Granted I've talked about RTs and caregivers, but thank God for those caregivers who save your life!

In 2015 I had a severe accident. I have written about it in several posts along with my operations. Since I woke up in the hospital with my family around me in a hospital gown, and hooked up to several IV's, I didn't think about my clothes. Later I received my belongings and clothing in a plastic sack. My clothes had been cut off.

In the act of an emergency they will cut them off. You can’t remove clothing easily in a trauma situation. The use a shear tripe scissor.

I would imagine they'd be cut off...It's definitely a nice fantasy!

In a trauma center there is a team that greets the trauma victim on arrival. Everyone has a position in the room and a set of tasks that are done. Clothes are cut off by 2 people, while nurses and MDs do the initial assessment, do a femoral arterial stick for blood, assess both the entire front and back of the person, a rectal is done, catheter if necessary and if required, intubation to establish the airway. If the airway needs to be established immediately, intubation is done on arrival.

A team approach, early recognition of injury and prompt treatment results in successful outcomes.

however patients who have been through it often feel it a bit demeaning and embarrassing for obvious reasons.

Lost a custom made T-shirt in the ER about two years ago.

So I could imagine for some, there would be some mental trauma afterwards in having their clothes cut off.

(You don't need to come back with an explanation related to the urgency to save a patient's life - I get all that. )

I’m in favor of cutting into clothes for every exam. No need to undress, just let the doctor or RN cut holes in your shirt and bra for breast exam. Cut out the crotch of your jeans for pelvic exam. Cut the whole ass off for a buttock injection. Then, as you leave the doctor office, everyone could tell what you had had checked by the large access holes in your outfit.

@Hookajoe

Just as we have a "LIKE" button, we should also have a "CRAZIER THAN SHIT" button!!! 😁 😁 😁

I would think that at the time the trauma of having clothes removed would be the least of the traumas you're dealing with.

Glad I've never been there, and not rushing off to experience it. Guess I'll be glad that the ED is there if I ever get in a big mess though.

@Hookajoe, you would probably enjoy play exams involving disposable gowns that you can cut away at as you go along.

If you are a trauma victim, it’s about saving your life, not your clothes.

Would think in a play setting wearing clothes that you wouldn't mind losing creates possibilities. You don't know if your play doctor/nurse/scientist is going to ask you to remove them, help you remove them, or cut them off of you.

If he or she has something you can wear home, that you don't know they have, heightens the anticipation...

Being blindfolded, restrained, and having your clothes cut off while your protests are being ignored sounds like a hot scenario opener..

In all of the trauma calls I have attended in A&E we have always cut of the clothing of the individual concerned as standard practice. You need to quickly assess a patient with minimal and controlled movement . Cutting off the clothing allows this .

As delmar stated:

If you are a trauma victim, it’s about saving your life, not your clothes.

In a trauma center there is a team that greets the trauma victim on arrival. Everyone has a position in the room and a set of tasks that are done. Clothes are cut off by 2 people, while nurses and MDs do the initial assessment, do a femoral arterial stick for blood, assess both the entire front and back of the person, a rectal is done, catheter if necessary and if required, intubation to establish the airway. If the airway needs to be established immediately, intubation is done on arrival.

A team approach, early recognition of injury and prompt treatment results in successful outcomes.

Not surprising that a trauma team or paramedics would cut a patient's clothes off if the patient is unconscious, badly injured, or immobilized. But if the patient is able to come into an emergency room on their own, would they be told to get undressed if they were able to do it themselves? Fortunately, I haven't had any true emergencies so have never had my clothes cut off. If you are admitted and able to undress yourself, you will get a gown and be told that everything needs to come off.

Not surprising that a trauma team or paramedics would cut a patient's clothes off if the patient is unconscious, badly injured, or immobilized. But if the patient is able to come into an emergency room on their own, would they be told to get undressed if they were able to do it themselves?

YES. That is what happens.

The ER team is not interested in cutting off clothes on people who can get undressed by themselves.

It seems that if you must have your clothes cut off, you've had a severe trauma, could face scarring, surgery, maming disfugurement, etc. Not really a medfet's dream come true. (Now in a strip search scenario? Kinky.)

I have help cut clothes, remove shoes and sock. I also helped secure valuables and gather info for admitting. By then the next of kin had arrived and need to be attended to.

At least twice I can recall having my clothes cut off in the emergency room when I was younger. I don't really remember much detail about it. I was in a bit too much pain to care when they did it although I do remember being unhappy my clothes were ruined.

I had my favorite sweatshirt cut off when I fell and dislocated my shoulder. To this day I still miss that sweatshirt.

In trauma cases doing primary or secondary survey of injuries (when time is against you, we will cut your clothes off nothing kinky or disrespectful or immodest), it just to treat you and it only in major cases of trauma. Occasionally in a full code we will cut someones shirt off, this will allow us faster IV access and insure if we have to cardiovert nothing is in the way. In cases off non trauma usually we will undress you and put your clothes in a bag. I am a retired Paramedic and Nurse and have had both done to me at different times, and can definitely say it's more than disorienting when the last thing you remember is being at home only to wake up in ICU & find out you have been there several weeks. It takes a while to wrap your head around that and you don't even worry about your clothes. Most hospitals have a "wardrobe department" of clothes that patients left or never reclaimed, unless your really heavy or pediatric they can usually find you some civvies to wear when your discharged if nothing else we have scrubs. I hope you never have to experience the "full service" hospital visit. In a fantasy it could be fun, in real life it's anything but. Most people are usually feeling "spent " and not in anyway erotic. No matter the jokes the head nurse doesn't actually have that in their job description.

When I was eleven I dislocated my left elbow when playing football in the park. When I went to hospital they initially took me up to theatre that evening to operate but when I woke up I found they hadn't been able to operate and I had to lie in bed and have my arm in traction (it was another four days before it was ready to operate on). During the time I was lying there a nurse had to cut my t-shirt off down one side - obviously it couldn't be removed normally. They did give it to my mother though and she stitched the seam back together.

I lived a hard out door life motorcycles, lettuce tramp, high rise caulker, and gold miner. I have found myself in the ER so many times it's not funny. Had my favorite boot's [twice], jackets [three], cut off. Didn't mind the pant's or shirt's so much but underwear being cut off with three or four nurses and a doctor working on me and everyone asking different question's at the same time. I just wanted all of them to leave me alone and let die in peace .

"Nurse" the first thing you see after saying "hold my beer watch this".

I said in another thread that I got a bad cut on my forehead when I was in a car accident when I was much younger and that since the injury was to my head and everything else seemed to be work properly a nurse at the hospital helped me out of my clothes and into a gown. There was really no need to cut them off.

I never had my clothes cut off, but.....I did (very recently) had to have my hospital gown cut off and remain totally naked for a few minutes while I was cleaned up. Yes, it was like some kind of fantasy from a tv soap opera (like 'Holby City' here in the UK or 'ER' / 'Scrubs' /'Chicago Med' etc in the USA.

Yes...it involved several nurses...but it wasn't erotic. I was in HDU, having just come round following major bowel cancer (successful) surgery. So, I was still pretty groggy and pumped full of anaesthetic, morphine etc. But...within 2 hours I was sitting up and being 'encouraged' to eat (despite having had half my colon removed & still feeling slightly nauseous.

But nurses/doctors know best, eh? I was given a large mug of tea and two rounds of toast and marmite. Slightly reluctantly, I managed to consume/drink it all. Initially, I felt OK. But, 20 minutes later I began to feel extremely unwell with strong waves of nausea. Most of you (at some point in your lives) will recognise that awful feeling when you know that you are about to vomit.

I managed to summon a nurse and desperately asked for a bowl. She returned with one, but it was partly too late. I was horribly ill. Some vomit went into the bowl, but the rest was all over the bedsheets and all over me. I felt truly wretched....by now also perspiring and retching (which was agonising and not good for recently cut abdominal muscles/new stitches).

Several nurses were summoned to immediately change the bedsheets and attend to me. I needed cleaning up big time, but I was so weak I could not stand. Two nurses propped me up whilst a third tried to remove my gown. But there was a problem. I had so many lines, drains, catheters etc attached to me (plus extra ones as I had agreed to take part in research trials) that they could not get the gown off me. The Ward Sister was called and she quickly decided that they would have to cut the gown off me. So they did and I simply had to remain completely naked for several minutes whilst they cleaned me up. Then they could not get a clean gown on me!! The dolution was to lay me on a gown placed on the bed and then loosely drape a second gown over me. I had to stay like that for 24 hours until quite a few of the lines/drains etc were removed. Oh my days!! (I have to say that everyone involved behaved in a thoroughly professional and supprtive manner).

My wife had her clothes cut off at the ER. She had a significant medical problem and it was a life or death issue. Gave me the clothes in a plastic bag.

Actually three times. Twice in the Army - although one of those times it was only my boot due to a broken ankle. (My favorite, well broken in boots however!) The second time was after a motor vehicle accident resulting in a crushed knee - they cut off my fatigue pants and boxers. Since they issued all the uniform clothing, it was easily replaced.

The third time - many years ago - I suffered a flash burn doing something stupid with explosives on July 4th. (HEY, watch this guys!!) which got me to the ER with partially burned shirt and jeans and a lot of 2nd degree burns and a lot less hair. They cut all of my clothing off so as not to aggravate the burns. My bride arrived and brought replacement clothing wondering all the while why she married this idiot.

When time is a factor in that initial 'golden hour' for treatment, the clothes don't matter and can always be replaced.

I have posted in other topics; Naked in Emergency room https://en.zity.biz/index.php?mx=forum;ox=display;msg=1007431; about my experiences. This included having my clothes cut of following been knocked off my bike and having suspected pelvic injuries. As discussed in the other post, this was extremely embarrassing; although at the time the pain meds lessened the embarrassment.