Don't Cry Over Spilled... Blood?

[Music in My Heart]

So I had another first in my 2+ year nursing career.

I've got an active bleeder, popped in a couple of lines, and have an order to run 2 units of uncrossed blood. I hang the first bag, spike it, start priming the filter element when, the whole element/tubing assembly "unspikes" and comes right back out in my hand... and the blood starts pouring all over the place.

Have you EVER had the spike come right back out? I mean, jeez, they're tough to pull out when I'm trying to, and this one just... plop, right back out.

I'm standing there in a puddle of blood telling people, "It's CLEAN blood, it's CLEAN..."

What a mess.

[missladyrn]

It was funny when it happened to Lexi Gray on greys Anatomy. In real life, I bet, not so much. Sorry that happened to you! You will laugh about it later!

[JBudd, MSN]

The spike didn't fall out on me, it just went through the side of the bag and blood started dribbling down my upstretched arm. Last time I ever spiked a bag on the pole instead of holding it!

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

That's what happens when we are in a hurry to save lives! I've spiked many bags sideways .. not a unit of blood though. (yet)

You're right .. it's clean blood, as clean as blood gets:)

I admire your sense of humor.. it's what keeps us going.

[Good Morning, Gil]

No, I never had that happen, but I am always careful when I pressure bag FFP or platelets (not to pump up the pressure bag too much) since one of the veteran nurses told me what can happen if you pump up the bag too much lol.

I'm sure that was such a mess, but at least it was cleaner blood like you said. :)

[beckster_01, BSN, RN]

That is actually an ongoing paranoia of mine. I also worry about spiking through a bag of fluids and into my hand.... Don't ask why. I am very careful when I hang fluids That would seriously freak me out though.

This is slightly off-topic, but the other day I was snowboarding (on what little snow we have left) and I smashed face in the snow. Let me tell you, I knew that I instantly had a bloody nose, and as soon as I saw my hand covered in blood I was convinced I was dying. Why is it that when other people bleed I think "well, as long as their vitals are stable..." but when I have a streak of blood on my hand I go into panic mode??

[wooh, BSN, RN]

Did you immediately get angry and set the entire hospital on fire a la Carrie?

[Perpetual Student]

I once was in our isolation closet and emptied a JP. I didn't want to take off my isolation costume and go to the bathroom on the far end of the unit, so I just carefully poured it down the sink. When I turned the water on to rinse it down slightly diluted blood sprayed all over the place (thankfully not on me). The poor tech came to clean the room before I got back from transferring the patient to the floor, so I hadn't cleaned it up yet. It looked like I'd used a chainsaw on someone. She still teases me about it.

I've poked holes in the bag during spiking several times, thankfully just with plain fluids so far. Of course that usually happens when I'm rushing, or worse talking to a student or family member. No, I swear, I'm not really incompetent.

I also worry about spiking through a bag of fluids and into my hand.

Wow, you'd have to be mighty forceful to manage that. Remind me to never shake your hand!

[crb613, BSN, RN]

I actually saw this happen the other day....first for me too! We were in PACU, and had a pt crashing. A nurse had already spiked the blood, and was reaching up to adjust the roller clamp when came out....it went everywhere! There was so much going on at the time that we just threw down some towels and carrried on.

[Music in My Heart]

It was pretty embarrassing at the time but I did laugh about it. Of course, 10 minutes later, the flight crew shows up to whisk the patient off to a higher level of care... and I always want to be at my best when they're rolling in. We all had a good laugh about it... including the patient.

It still bothers me that the spike came back out so easily and wasted some of that most precious of commodities.

The story is growing and growing... and now has me bathed in the blood, then bathing in the blood, then standing in there howling and making a Tyson-face tat out of the blood while scowling at everybody.

In retrospect, it is funny... and is a good lesson in (a) being very careful in all we do... even something we've done a thousand times before, (b) thinking quickly, and ©... not taking yourself too seriously.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Well....TRUST me it happens!!!!!!!!!!!

Back in prehistoric times, I had a trauma that was bleeding out and we used regular pressure bags to "pump" the blood into the patient. Well......we also would double spike the blood bags and have 2 units on one line and place both units in the pressure bag.

We were trying frantically trying to get blood on this kid and I spiked the two units on the tubing, shoved them into the pressure bag and pumped up the bag and all of a sudden...WHOOSH.....I was able to cover half the trauma team and the walls! all in one swoop! As we stared at each other in horror, I started giggling at the ridiculousness of the entire scene. Just think, we wore white in those days too!

To this very day I am careful about spiking blood and I haven't lived that one down and I don't think I ever will. Oh, and the patient, while in the hospital along time, did survive.

[Music in My Heart]

It's nice to hear that I'm not the only one!