Wow, congrats to
Tweety and
Tina on test results!! Does posting on allnurses help your grades or what???!!!!
I'm physically tired and mentally fatigued after the week we've had! Had one or two angry pts (to begin with, not as a result of our contact
), and:
--- cath lab wouldn't boot on Monday (luckily no cases); called BioMed (the person who knows the system was off, so the second-in-command came 'round, called FMS, they determined there was no power to a little room which houses the "UPS," which is the power source for the whole room. Fixed in an hour.
---Tues room was hot/muggy (for us, with lead aprons, gown, gloves, mask, hair covering and shoe coverings on), called A/C. They "said" they would get some more air to us
--- Wed, room A/C was better but nowhere near what is "normal." (note: construction of a new cath lab is going on and A/C was being re-routed this week . . this is per the grapevine and after numerous calls. Did anyone warn us??? No . . .)
--- Thurs (angry pt just wheeling into hall), Pyxis drawer gets stuck after it's refilled (Pharm tech did it, not us, lol!). We discover there's no wall O2. Scramble to get Pyxis out of room so TPTB can work on it. Scramble to get H cylinder in room so we have O2 (cardiac pts, moderate sedation = need O2!). Room is still warm. One add-on pt (out-pt with VERY positive treadmill study that morning) cathed and sent immediately for stent. O2 on by afternoon (supposedly every dept head received email informing that O2 would be off, but ours didn't inform us. Respiratory dept wasn't even informed
repeat after me, all: Communication breakdown!!!).
--- Today (Friday): Room still warm (yes, we've called every day). Pyxis fixed by noon. Our one-and-only pt is on the table, for right and left heart cath for severe aortic stenosis (per echo). Our AP image intensifier (X-ray tube) screen goes white. No fluoro. Nada. Zip. Catheter is in the left coronary artery.
Interestingly, we are one of 5% of Cath Labs in the country that has a biplane unit. We can't move the A plane (the broken one) out of position, we can only cant it to the side and try to get the views we need with the B plane. We can't get certain views because the A plane is in the way. We do the best we can . . . did get diagnostic pictures. (BioMed checked the unit post-cath, determined yes, it arced, and re-set the unit. It all works now. go figure).
So all you sweeties, it was a week that we can be proud of, simply because we survived, and with our sense of humor intact! Indeed, it's that sense of humor that enabled us to SURVIVE!! Our pts were safe at all times . . . and we're off now. I'm SO looking forward to this weekend, even though we continue to experience triple-digit temps (108 today), and forecast is for the same thru the weekend.
I know our experiences are nothing compared to what others have had to endure this week, but I thought I'd share with y'all.
I'd like a nice cool swimming pool, please, and someone to cook for me so I don't have to. Thanks so much, I'll be here at the computer when you deliver it all.
Nice to see you all. BBL!
Would you like to comment?
Hope your A&P 2 is going well.
Hmmmm. 
