So frustrated with Surgeons and doctors!

[dorie43rn]

I am so sick of doctors, especially surgeons thinking nurses don't know a damn thing about their patients! We spend so much more time with them, I truly feel we know them and what they need better.

My situation the other day had me so irate, I cried.

We had a 60 y/o woman on the vent for 9 days with ARDS. The doctor prepared her husband for the bleak outlook. The husband decided to trach and peg her and send her to a Specialty hospital. That night her sats dropped into the 30's and the nurse had to pull out the new trach and intubate her to get her sats to 85. I picked her up the next day, and she was actually stable with the intubation. She was started on heparin due to a possible PE. The Surgeon comes thorough and says to get a trach ordered, that he was going to replace the one that was taken out. When he left, I thought that this might be a bad idea and brought it up to our lung doctor that was making his rounds. He agreed, but wasn't going to argue with the surgeon. I called the OR and asked the nurse to please tell the doctor that the patient is on heparin and the lung doc is in no hurry to put the new trach in, she was in critical condition. The surgeon insisted he needed to put that damn trach in. I knew it was going to be bad, so I hurried to lunch before her came with his team. I guess he came into the nurses station and was asking who was it that didn't think the trach needed changed. I guess he was going to give me a lesson, but I was at lunch. I came back from lunch to the disaster I predicted. The patients sats were in the 30's for and hour or so while he put that trach in, and her sats never went about 50 after. She died 2 hours after. There are so many more situations I want to scream! I realize I am not a doctor, but I feel they should listen to our concerns considering we are with their patient all the time. Thanks for listening, I'm still bothered by it.

[detroitdano]

If the attending doc disagreed with the action believe me there will be repercussions for that surgeon.

[**LaurelRN, MSN]

i feel your pain almost on a daily basis....i just hope you documented very well- imho, this will be a legal case

[montinurse, BSN]

I agree with Detroit. I've seen it happen. Just because they have an MD after their name does not mean they can play however they want. What looks ok per patient chart and trends doesn't mean it will be ok for the patient. Hopefully your hospital won't renew his contract!