Doctor Asked For A "Kind" Nurse

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Let me preface this thread by stating a few things:

1. I'm not posting this thread to bash certain religions, I'm posting to vent, gain understanding, and get a variety of views.

2. Whatever your belief, please respect the beliefs of others.

That said, I admit to not understanding how parents can stand by and watch their child bleed to death.

Teenager, throwing up blood for 2 days, H & H 6.1 and 17.0. Platelets 14. WBC 1.0. Pancytopenia. A religion that does not allow blood products or transfusions. Essentially we will be watching this patient die. As the majority of us know, some fresh frozen plasma, units of packed cells, the ability to SAFELY do an EGD and the patient would be discharged home in about 2 days.

Instead, in 4 hours when the next CBC was done, the Hgb was down to 5.8.

I overheard the attending doc asking the charge nurse to assign a "kind" nurse as this was a "difficult" case. I felt that was unnecessary, because as hard as it is for all of us to watch this, we still treat the patient and family with compassion.

My main point: I'm hoping someone could explain to me, how in the world can you stand by and allow your child to die?

Harsh question, and I'm sure an age-old question, but I do not and can not understand it.

how about a KIND doctor?

So sorry, Vegas. More hugs.

Specializes in Emergency.

Sorry to hear today's news. It is sad and tragic. Keep your chin up - you are doing a great job!

Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

This post may come a little late....

Vegas - Why is pt a full code (crash cart at door)? I would have a problem with that. I presume supplemental O2 in use - Ativan and MSO4 to calm pt and reduce O2 needs. My heart goes out to you at this time. Being the nurse when a patient bleeds out is very difficult.

HBOC can be used in limited circumstances - but generally used when you know that the bleeding can be/has been stopped, and when you know that you can back up with blood products if needed. You can only use limited amounts of it and must know that the pt will produce cells on own or blood loss has stopped. Otherwise, it is usually a brief fix.

We need to increase funding for blood substitutes and bloodless medicine for many reasons.

Blood products are increasingly in short supply. With the deployment of troops in the ME, we have lost a major group of healthy donors for a time period - as they will be prohibited from donating for a time period upon return. Much of blood supplies will be required for their care and those of allied forces. Of recent concern, many European blood supplies and donations of those that may have traveled in Europe during certain time frames - d/t fears of blood contamination d/t "mad cow"/Jakob-Crutzfeldt(?) disease, which can remain dormant in the body for extended periods of time.

Drugs such as Neumega (increases platelet counts)are incredibly expensive and frequently not covered by most insurances. And if you can't keep the patient from bleeding, they will continue to need PRBCs.

Onco patients often require repeated transfusions of all blood products - a major problem is that they become "refractory" to PLT transfusion. Their systems get so sensitized to the "foreign" platelets that their bodies will destroy the transfused platelets/stop producing platelets - so despite transfusions, the levels drop even faster. These pts require HLA matched platelets - even harder to come by. A bloodless alternative would be immensely helpful.

Many of the antivirals and their technology comes from research into AIDs. This technology has gone on to help plenty of non-AIDs patients. The research into bloodless medicine could help many patients other than JW patients.

Originally posted by fab4fan

BTW, everyone benefits from the advances that have been made in bloodless medicine/surgery. I think most medical professionals agree that there are risks with transfusions, esp. now. Just as we understand the effects of indiscriminate use of abx., blood is now being seen as not the "only" option.

I am not speaking to this specific situation, but just because one treatment is being refused does not mean that the pt. does not want other aggressive treatment, up to and including resuscitation. It's a personal choice on the part of the pt.

While many get frustrated with pts. who refuse blood, bear in mind that their steadfast refusal has resulted in doctors exploring and refining alternative treatments that benefit everyone.

Specializes in Peds, Pre and post op.

Hi Vegas I hope your patient makes it through

and I think the Dr. did find a good nurse, because you care :)

Fab4fan

I just have to say youve done a great job explaining things, I dont think I couldve done a better job. (JW RN student__>thats me!)

anywhoo

I heard from a JW ER nurse of a case of a man who died from rejecting transfused blood (his type of course), and she believes he would lived if he was a JW.

Her reasoning?

The man had his legs partailly cut off in a car accident and his femoral ateries were severed.

She said if he was a JW they would have just cut his legs off, stopped the bleeding and saved his life but not his legs.

Instead they tried to save his legs, gave him blood and he died from his body rejecting it.

I know this was a bit off topic and a very different story, but I just thought maybe it woould help to give a differnt perspective.

Oh yes, I think non blood managment can help EVERYONE not just JWs.

Why?

No more worrying about if the blood supply is low

No wrry about rejecting it ect

just my 2 cents of course :)

Wow! What a thread! I have learned alot--many thanks to fab4 and Vegas and everyone. This may be a day late and a dollar short, but several days of posts ago, people were posting about rods and staffs and discipline etc. FYI:disciple and discipline come from the same Latin root, discip--"to grasp". Cool or what?

fab4: I truly hope my anecdote about the post partum pt was not perceived as a bash. Our ICU staff just couldn't get this pt to understand that w/ a hgb at 4 and dropping that breastfeeding wasn't an option. I do understand her conflict, but the body has finite physical resources. I didn't tell the story to make a blanket statement about JW's; it is my only interaction with JW's in an acute medical crisis. Sorry if it came off wrong.

I would be extremely frustrated and saddened by the situation Vegas is in. However, I know that I would want treatment that reflected my own value system (and to be at least nominally incharge of tx) and that I would need professionals around me who could meet me where I was, so to speak. That IS our job--and often it is the hardest part of that job. I commend Vegas--she sounds a great nurse!

liberalrn: No, I didn't take it that way at all. I treid to PM you, then I remembered that you don't have "PM" enabled, so then I was going to send you and e-mail, but something else diverted me and I forgot...so anyway, fuhgedaboudit!

Nessa1982: I'm going to send you a PM

Here are two links that provide info re: blood conservation techniques and non-blood alternatives (not affiliated with any religion)-

Here's one

Here's another

Specializes in Trauma,ER,CCU/OHU/Nsg Ed/Nsg Research.
Originally posted by leeca

Docs prefer to use blood because its cheaper.

Wrong. They prefer to use it because it's more effective.

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