Defibrillation question

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  1. This is a discussion on Defibrillation question in General Nursing Discussion, part of General Nursing ... As seen in a commercial for an upcoming TV show episode ---- hospital scene, pt laying (lying?)...

    by Sep 17, '12
    As seen in a commercial for an upcoming TV show episode ---- hospital scene, pt laying (lying?) flat in bed/stretcher, side rails down (OK). Male MD/nurse (?) with defib paddles in hand, paddles positioned over sternum/left lateral chest (OK-ish), ready to fire.

    Here's the kicker --- pt in a hospital gown, no gel pads; therefore the defib firing attempt would be thru the gown!!??!!??

    Now it's been eons & eons since I last used a defibrillator, but don't you still have to make direct contact to the gel pads on the bare chest? Not thru fabric? Uhhhh - i'is there something new out there in defibrillator land? Or did I just see another DUMB incorrect
    over-dramatized made-specially-just-for-TV spectacle?

    We used chest gel pads for AED training, so wouldn't this be applicable to general defibrillation also. I love catching medical bloopers on TV, so this just jumped out at me!

    So... did I catch a blooper? Thanks.
    Last edit by amoLucia on Sep 17, '12 : Reason: spelling
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    by amoLucia Sep 17, '12 1:26 pm
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  2. 54 Comments so far...

  3. Sep 17, '12 by
    I was taught direct contact with skin, last week by the AHA.
  4. Sep 17, '12 by
    Welcome to the wonderful world of Hollywood! YEARS ago, I saw blood being given (on a soap opera) from a glass bottle, and if you followed the tubing, it was going into the patient's nose. I 'bout wet myself I laughed so hard!
    Good Morning, Gil, hiddencatRN, Esme12, and 7 others like this.
  5. Sep 17, '12 by
    Never, never mistake commercial television for instructional material.
    NurseOnAMotorcycle, Mrsearly2009, KelRN215, and 2 others like this.
  6. Asst. Admin
    Sep 17, '12 by
    TV dramas still shock flat lines. Asystole is a very stable rhythm....aka "dead". You can't shock asystole as there is no electrical activity to shock....yet they continue to do so on many tv dramas & movies.
    ExPharmaGirl, redhead_NURSE98!, harrird, and 8 others like this.
  7. Sep 17, '12 by
    Quote from marycarney
    Welcome to the wonderful world of Hollywood! YEARS ago, I saw blood being given (on a soap opera) from a glass bottle, and if you followed the tubing, it was going into the patient's nose. I 'bout wet myself I laughed so hard!
    Hahaha...lol
    TJ'sMOM and appi-us like this.
  8. Sep 17, '12 by
    Now I question everything I learned on ER
    ExPharmaGirl, suiteums, Sun0408, and 14 others like this.
  9. Sep 17, '12 by
    I watched "The Vow" the other night... When the female lead was unconscious in the hospital the big bore blue oxygen hose was taped directly to her face going into her mouth... No ETT, no securement device...
    Cerriwin likes this.
  10. Sep 17, '12 by
    To answer the OP's question - No, you would not shock through a patient gown.
    SantaRN likes this.
  11. Sep 17, '12 by
    When taking my BLS course we were instructed to remove the person's shirt and to even try to remove any hair on the person's chest if we could but who really has time to pull a razor and some shaving gel out at a time like that?