I will say my training at my hospital helps me survive in places far from my hospital. I was in New Delhi for a conference that involved the health ministry, UNICEF and others. It was at a famous 4 star hotel. We had to stay at that hotel for convenience. It was a good hotel and the arrangement of the conference was superb. The trouble started when I reached my room after the day's work. I planned to go to bed but it was so cold despite the summer heat of New Delhi, that sleep would be impossible. There was central air-conditioning, and it was almost as good as that in our emergency OT soon after installation. I shivered continuously in the hotel room just like in our OT. I looked for the remote control to adjust the temperature and found there was none, just as in our OT. I called reception and asked for increasing the temperature a bit.
"Sir, I am afraid that is not possible. It is centrally operated unit, and the thermostat is set for the whole hotel" the fellow manning the desk said.
I reviewed the situation again. There were four bed sheets and two blankets. I could be warm under the lot. But the problem was that my face and ears would freeze after I went to sleep, because I could not cover my face with the blankets. If I did, I would be a stiff (meaning dead as in American comics) from asphyxia instead of being just stiff with cold. It was at this was the pointthat my training at my hospital helped.
I climbed a chair to reach the vents of the air-conditioning from which the ice cold air was being pumped right onto the bed. I fixed a stiff card (don't expect me to say where I found the card - the hotel management might get offended by the answer) over the vents as shown above. Diagram A is the outside view, B is as it would be seen from the inside of the vents. This covering of the vents is used extensively in the OTs when it gets too cold. After a few months, the air-handling unit loses its force and the covers become unnecessary. I don't know if it is OK to do so, but it works in OTs and it worked in the hotel room too. After a good night's sleep, I removed the card, restored it to its initial shape and glory (that should please the hotel management in case they have figured out where I got the card) and went about my business.
"Sir, I am afraid that is not possible. It is centrally operated unit, and the thermostat is set for the whole hotel" the fellow manning the desk said.
I reviewed the situation again. There were four bed sheets and two blankets. I could be warm under the lot. But the problem was that my face and ears would freeze after I went to sleep, because I could not cover my face with the blankets. If I did, I would be a stiff (meaning dead as in American comics) from asphyxia instead of being just stiff with cold. It was at this was the pointthat my training at my hospital helped.
I climbed a chair to reach the vents of the air-conditioning from which the ice cold air was being pumped right onto the bed. I fixed a stiff card (don't expect me to say where I found the card - the hotel management might get offended by the answer) over the vents as shown above. Diagram A is the outside view, B is as it would be seen from the inside of the vents. This covering of the vents is used extensively in the OTs when it gets too cold. After a few months, the air-handling unit loses its force and the covers become unnecessary. I don't know if it is OK to do so, but it works in OTs and it worked in the hotel room too. After a good night's sleep, I removed the card, restored it to its initial shape and glory (that should please the hotel management in case they have figured out where I got the card) and went about my business.
