Tuesday, April 1, 2008

What's Wrong??? WEll doc...he ain't breathing!

Friday, had a code, 2 minutes into taking report. Knew nothing about the patient as yet, just the aides were putting him back in the bed from the chair and she runs out "I think he is having a stroke!" We go in there and like "call a code, get the cart...stroke hell...he ain't breathing"! The nurse I was getting report from was a Winter Worker floated from another floor, so I knew she didn't know where stuff was, I fly outta the room like a bat outta hell and get the crash cart...forgot to unplug it *grin* so the cord just popped outta the wall, I yell at the aides to get the Jerry chair outta the way (no way crash cart, doc's, nurses can all fit with it in the way). They do and I run the cart in shove the board under the dude and start compressions...the float nurse had already checked and he was PEA, they hook up the leads around my hands...and the ER doc arrives. By this time, the float nurse is outta the room in the hallway pretending to be a bystander...and I don't even know this guy! The doc looks and me and asks "Well what's wrong with this guy?"...I'm like...."AAAAA....he's not breathing?!" Did I sound like a dumb-ass or what??? He just gave me the evil eye and asked again...I'm like...well there's the day nurse...I haven't got report yet...but He's got Dobutamine running...so he ain't good!" Sad to say after 45 minutes of good CPR he didn't make it. And the Float nurse....well she was pissed that report was late and she was late going home. I did all the code paperwork, death stuff, called the tissue bank, comforted the family, called the funeral home and did post-mortem care after she left...but SHE was pissed.

Me...I was just sad. Oh and the rest of my patient's didn't get their meds until 11 p.m., and the rest of the night was not much better. By the end of the shift my co-workers were calling me Ninja Nurse...because I was kicking ass to get done!