Would you trust a Lyft or Uber to get you to the ER 25-30 miles away if your hr is over 180?

I have in the past but now (this week) California has a shortage of drivers and the wait time is over an hour to an hour and a half. Would you feel comfortable with 8-9 over 10 angina and a 184 hr to travel by Lyft/taxi/Uber that far?

I made some calls to private ambulance companies. They will not drop off to any Er. So they gave me some numbers of ambulances that will. Problem is two fold. One, if my HR is over 120 they will refuse and will call 911 and charge me for coming by and I will be dropped off at the closest covid19 infested hospital where I have no cardiologist or history. We joke about that place-it’s a one way destination. Secondly it is a 3-4 hour wait for an ambulance if I go that route. The price is $428-1470 which is ok if they save my life but a lot if I can manage with a car service company. My episodes are getting worst and worst. I considered a hotel (cheaper than an ambulance) near my preferred hospital once I wean off of sotalol before my upcoming ablation but there still is the problem of getting a ride to the Er.

Would like some suggestions. I travel alone.

Any friends who could drive you?

{edit} how about a limo service?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/2021 10:17PM by GeorgeN.

Susan: I had an ablation at that hospital in February. I wanted to be the first of the day so had to arrive before 6:00AM.

Although Uber took an advance booking and kept the scheduled 5:30 pickup until a little after 5:00, they then told me no driver's available. So did Lyft and the local taxi service.

The fix for me was, as George suggested, a limo service the hotel uses. The desk clerk got the driver/owner out of bed at 5:20, he was at the hotel at 5:50 and I was at the hospital just after 6:00. I had to pay minimum rate, $60, for a normal $10 trip but it was well worth it.

There must be similar services close to where you live. Check the hotels nearby for references.

A heart rate of 184 is a justifiable 911 call, particularly in the presence of chest pain, and of course they're faster, more reliable, and deliver directly to ERs. Arriving by ambulance also means you'll skip triage and be seen much faster because they'll already know you're coming, what's wrong. And assuming it's a paramedic-level service, the medics will get an ECG and start an IV en route. Oh, and they can even cardiovert you if necessary (unlikely unless you were unstable). Plus, Medicare will pay for it all.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/12/2021 04:06AM by susan.d.

This is 2021. The local hospital can have your records from Robles in a matter of minutes. In fact, these days it's likely it won't even take that long because they can access them directly through their EHR (electronic health record) system every hospital in the US has. The ER will most likely be able to pull up your Robles records instantly once they have consent, even if the two hospitals are completely different organizations.

I haven't had to supply a single record to any medical provider in the last, oh, 5 years. I just sign a consent form and then they know everything instantly. And it works both ways. Things that providers in CT knew about me were instantly available to Natale at St. David's in TX, and things Natale did were instantly visible to my doctors in CT.

Every ER in the US knows how to do a cardioversion. (Hell, every paramedic in the country knows how.) Each may have slightly different procedures they follow, but they don't differ by much. The issue of having eaten beforehand is known to all of them and they're all aware of the protocol (some say 6 hours, some say 5). And, incidentally, the food restriction is due to the anesthesia, not the cardioversion. If you've eaten recently but you really need that cardioversion urgently, they'll simply use conscious sedation instead of general anesthesia (GA).

Unless your local hospital is a total podunk place out in the middle of nowhere, long drives out to Robles really aren't necessary. Any ER in the US or Canada can do a cardioversion safely, even if you have quirky issues.

I live 100 miles away from the Hospital that my Cardiologist calls Home. It is Shreveport, Louisiana. I live 8 miles from my Country Hospital which has less than 40 beds and no full time Doctor 24/7 much less a Cardiologist or EP.
I would go to my local emergency room to get stabilized. My BPM where around 170 but they had the ability to communicate with EP’s from Oschner at Tulane in New Orleans. Doctors rotate being on call; All 4 of them and they are all GP.
They always stabilized me and sent me on my way to the big boys by help with today’s Technology.
My point is I will go to my little country Hospital and feel safe. I have been through 2 Ablations with Dr. Natale and they would even get information from Austin. Some of us live in the country and I am one of them and love it over city life.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/12/2021 04:05AM by susan.d.