I was just watching "All in the Family" for, oh, the millionth time, and I noticed something about Carter's treatment: Luka starts him on oxygen by mask while he's still unconscious---but when he wakes up later while Chen is checking his pupils, he's not wearing the mask anymore. Then a few moments later, while he's looking into the other trauma room and asking, "Is that Lucy?" they're giving him a nasal cannula (I think, maybe I'm just imagining that part). But when he's on his way to surgery with Benton, it's gone. Now, I know nothing about medicine, but that doesn't seem right to me. Is this some obscure medical thing I'm missing, or just a continuity boo-boo? (I'm a nit-picky kind of person, in case you hadn't noticed.)

-- Jennifer M. (jenbird@earthlink.net), March 28, 2000

Answers

Actually I think he had the nasal thing on the way to the OR too. I have another question. It seemed to me that Carter did not have any IV, at least not any units of blood, on the way to the OR. It seemed to me that he was beginning to lose consciousness because of his internal bleeding, and they were trying to keep him awake, so what I don't understand is, why wasn't he receiving blood continuously on the way to the OR?

-- debbie (riccardoiii@aol.com), March 28, 2000.

I know he received some blood. I remember them calling for O-neg and somebody asked why they were giving him O-neg(implying that with him they could/should know his blood type) and Benton (I think) replied that Carter is O-neg.

-- amanda (amanda.rehm@home.com), March 28, 2000.

I noticed the oxygen thing too. Near as I can figure, the mask comes off so we can hear Noah say his lines! ;) (And that's the same reason Luka didn't intubate in the first place. No, wait -- it must have been because he knew the cop would want to question Carter...yeah, that's it.)

-- Kathy Carter (keefcart@ix.netcom.com), March 28, 2000.

i nk he was getting the transfusion because he needed to go up right away, and the blood didnt make it down to ER on time, they probably had it sent to OR instead.

-- Alexis (lexicat1@webtv.net), March 29, 2000.

Yes, Carter was given blood in the ER and was still being transfused on the way up.

-- Sass (BC Sassy@aol.com), March 29, 2000.

When Benton's talking to Carter before surgery Carter asks how many units that is and Benton says it's five but Carter should'nt be counting. So Carter must have gotten several units in the ER and on his way up to surgery.

-- ER Girl (crazycowgirl58@hotmail.com), March 29, 2000.

I'm curious about something else -- if this were a real situation, would the entry wounds from the knife have been sewn up in the ER or the OR? The focus always seems to be on the internal injuries, and Carter is lying on his back the whole time, except for those brief moments when someone rolled him to look at his back.

-- Kathy Carter (keefcart@ix.netcom.com), March 29, 2000.