Nursing Hx:Share Oldtime Ineffective tx's?

[Sleepyeyes]

Recently a few of the "old-timers" and I were gabbing about ineffective treatments that used to be the standard of care for pts.

Such as:

MOM, sugar, and heat lamp therapy for Stage III decubs

(no wonder they didn't heal.....hmmmmmmm)

What ineffective tx did you used to have to give your patients??

[JonRN]

I remember the rotating tourniquets for CHF and pulmonary edema. We had to time them and then rotate q 5 min. I think, while all kinds of other stuff was going on w/ the pt. Then they got a machine that did it with 4 b/p cuffs, much easier. Nothing like a good ol' pulmonary edema at 2 a.m. to get you going. Right up there with a major trauma.

Pappy

[mark_LD_RN]

we still have the stupid donuts here to, don't use them much.just when a patient insists, you know when mom is always right:)

[misti_z]

Originally posted by JonRN

I think the feces enema was ro reseed the bowel with beneficial bacteria after heavy-duty antibiotics. I have even heard of some docs making pt.s eat feces for the same reason. Of course this was back when we fought saber-tooth tigers to get to work.

Pappy

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! :)

[kmchugh]

I've only been a nurse since 96, so not that much has changed yet. But, I do own "A Textbook of Nursing Technique" published by MacMillan in 1928. The book describes a course of nursing education. Included in the coursework was "eight hours of class work followed by six hours of supervised practice on the wards before any other elementary education is given..." These 14 hours were in -- BEDMAKING!

The program outlined also included ten hours of demonstration and practice in bandaging, and a whopping two hours of classroom instruction in administration of medication, in conjunction with classes in dosage and solution.

The book is a real hoot. I love it.

Kevin McHugh

[semstr]

Wow, the good old days!

the Wangensteen, the Pleuradrains in glass bottles, eggwhite on ulcers, ice and O2 for other ulcers.

We even put patients with deep decubital ulcers out on the veranda and 1,2,3 gone were the underpants (most didn't wear them anyway) and a.. in the sun.

We still use the donuts and we still use the Ichtyol for boils.

The glass of wine or beer is quite common in LTC here. Hey, better a glass of red wine, then Mogadon or Rohypnol and the things that can happen afterwards!

You ever heared of Mercurochrom? Nasty red stuff, we put on the woundedges. You never got it off your fingers.

Wasn't it fun? Take care, Renee

[maizey]

Remember when ob's all shared the same sitz bath. They were a tub that they sat down in in a little closet. Nursing would clean the blood clots out in between patients and clean up the tub for the next patient. Bet that was sanitary. Heat lamps for episiotomis. Patient laid with lamp on her for 15-20 minutes 3 or 4 times a day. Dried em up real good. LOL

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

I remember all of those practices and have used them in the past 28 years.

Still use milk and molasses enemas for patients with very sluggish bowels not responding to lactulose/biscodyl tablets/mineral oil enemas: works like magic if you use Bear Rabbit molasses.

White vinegar does have mild antiseptic properties: use it as mild cleaning agent for patients breathing equipment eg nebulizer units, aerochambers, incentive spirometry mouth pieces ( 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water) in home care. Works great for COPD /other patients who can't tolerate chemical cleaners. great Also freshens bedside commode buckets.

Egg whites have albumin in them that hardens when exposed to Oxygen/Air---that would place a protective coating on body surfaces so guess why it still would be used.

Whent thru BOXES of granulex canisters when working in LTC in 70's. Find that A+D ointment a better/cheaper emolient for protecting redened irritated skin exposed to moisture. Granulex rarely healed a would but think the motion of lifting pody part helped to decrease presure to area along with use sheepskin booties.

Remember making up small bottles of M& M: Maalox and Methiolate for use as wound care treatment in SNF. In early-mid 1970/s we nursing assistants did all the wound care, routine enemas/ disempaction and gravity Gavage (now GT) feedings in nursing homes. No certification back then: see one, do one, teach one was training method for nursing assistants--taught by most senior aide how to do patient care.

How about weak tea with sugar enemas for persons with high fevers to prevent dehydration? Routine baby enemas... Doses of castor oil nightly to prevent constipation?

Old time nurses trined in 40-'s 50's reported Nuns made them wash all eggs in vinegar water baths to prevent salmonella as part of training.

Sippy diets; milk and cream for patients with gastric ulcers every two hours??

Sure other nurses will have lots more to share...

[WashYaHands]

Last year while cleaning out my clinic, I found a urinometer. It looks similar to a thermometer with a much bigger bulb. You submerge it in a cylinder of urine to get specific gravity.

My grandfather used mecurochrome on our cuts when I was a kid. Yow!

Linda

[Katana]

Not only do I remember the Sippy diet, I have seen it work when all other modern routines didn't.

1 ounce of CREAM (not milk) every hour for the first 24-48 hours, then continuing with that, you added one Coddled egg at breakfast. The next day, it was a Coddled egg for breakfast and one for lunch. The following day, it was a Coddled egg for each meal but you still continued the ounce of cream every hour. I wish I could remember the rest of the diet but it sure did work! Just a pain for the staff and the patient to be woken up every hour around the clock.

I even had the pleasure of taking care of retired Dr. Sippy before he died. I have to admit that it was difficult to say good morning to his wife, though... "Good Morning, Mrs. Sippy" very hard to keep a straight face. They were such a nice couple.

Milk and Molasses enemas work great!!

I remember Merthiolate mixed with MOM for treatment of stasus ulcers.

Working in OB where all Mom's got enemas. The enema water was saved and then used for people who had severe diarrhea from long term or strong antibiotic therapy. It was given as a retention enema to the diarrhea patient.

Clini-Test instead of our current fingerstick glucoses. Not very accurate as not everyone "spills" sugar in their urine.

Croup tents that didn't have built in refrigeration units. You had a stainless steel bucket and step stool so you could reach the ice container on the unit. Plus.... if you forgot to empty the water out first.....ooooh, what a flood.

I remember having a full kitchen on the nursing unit so meals could be cooked for the patients after the kitchen was closed.

Kat

[JonRN]

We were still doing specific gravities on urines in the 80's in the SICU at the VA where I worked. We had to record them on the flow sheet. One nurse called them Pacific gravities, I guess as opposed to Atlantic gravities. Boy this stuff sure brings back a lot of memories, some good, some not so good.

Pappy

[BadBird, BSN, RN]

I remember nurses smoking at the nurses stations in the 80's.I can remember lavaging GI bleeders with ice water (didn't work well). Alcohol baths for fevers. Unhumidified oxygen, mongtomery straps (which still work well) for large abdominal surgeries.

[kids]

Originally posted by BadBird

I remember nurses smoking at the nurses stations in the 80's....

I remember being *annoyed* when they made us take the ashtrays off the med carts at my first job.