Icd Putting Patient In Floor

Specialties Cardiac

Published

I am a senior student nurse. This week in clinical, one of my patients had an ICD for about three years, he was in the hospital for pneumonia. The patient was laying in bed asleep with the side rails up. All of a sudden his ICD went off and patient was found laying on the floor with the side rails still up. I found this odd, has anyone every had this happen to a patient?

Outcome: Thanks to the patient being on telemetry. A code was called and patient survived and was transferred to the CCU.

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Never seen them bounce right out of bed, but have seen them bounce about a foot off the bed landing back in the bed. Also have seen an aide get shocked when she was holding the hand of a gentleman whose ICD went off.

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Specializes in EMS, ER, GI, PCU/Telemetry.

i responded to a code once on the tele floor that freaked me out. the pt(an LOL) had gone into cardiac arrest with an ICD, and it took a few minutes for it to fire, so we started compressions, and all of a sudden she jerked up like a jack in the box and gasped for air when the it fired, blinked a few times and said "what in the .... are all you people doing in here? is it time to eat?"

it was a very, very, very weird thing to witness.

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Thanks for the input. What freaked me out was the patient going from the bed to the floor.

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Specializes in Telemetry, CCU.

Crazy. I had no idea this could happen!

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I also found this weird and crazy. If I had not seen the siderails still up, I would not have believed this.

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Tele/Acute Rehab.

Um, it is possible to get out of a bed with the side rails still up. Could have gone off after that. On the other hand, I saw a tiny Chinese man levitate completely off the bed once when his fired. Weird things happen...aint technology amazing.

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Specializes in PCU/Tele.

Gotta love that Edison Medicine! Had a patient in ICU at a small community hospital with a slow VT, poor bugger, he was awake and alert through 3 shocks before anyone could find the magnet...and the cardiologist didn't return the page for another hour. Facility politics didn't allow for other docs to intervene...Holy crap. Still having nightmares about that one. Oh...he did stay in the bed, but I swear he hit the ceiling at least once!

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Tele/Acute Rehab.

Doncha love that..."slow VT"...tickles me every time someone says it. :bugeyes:

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Specializes in CTICU, Interventional Cardiology, CCU.

had a code blue one night on a pt. that had an ICD, cardiac arrest...my god when that thing fired, the pt. few into the air like the exorcist! The EPS MD and I screamed where's the magnet, no magnet in sight, EPS MD whipped one out of his pocket. OK, like most MD's walk around with a magnet in their pocket, but I guess when you are an EPS MD you have to. I ALWAYS make sure there is a magnet or 3 on the code cart now,which should have been there in the first place on a Interventional Cardiology floor, but was probably taken off and used to post some nursing inservice bulliten on the fridge in the staff lounge. I don't want to see the pt. become airbourne during a code as the ICD fires, and have the EPS MD say every curse word in the book while looking for the magnet, which is SUSPOSED to be on the code cart.

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