They did a c-section without anesthesia

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

The pt had an epidural, but it didn't do the trick. We don't have in-house anesthesia, and it took 20 minutes to get to the hospital. meanwhile there were heart tones in the toilet and the baby needed out, so...they just did it without him. no local or anything. I wasn't there but it sounds like it was a horrific case.

have you seen anything like this, and if so, what were the repercussions if any?

Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.
:nono: No anesthesiologist in house? No way! One bad outcome and it changes a nurses perspective! Have had true stat c/s in Labor and Delivery and without the Anesthesiologist in-house no doubt baby and possibly Mom would not have survived! Even if its a level 1 hospital - no excuse for not having in house anesthesia 24/7. I know its my opinion but...it my license also that I worked hard for and I am not willing to compromise in any way, especially with liability and lawsuits these days! I love working in Labor and Delivery and hope to keep it that way ;)

by definition, a level one service hospital has anesthesia 24/7. Perhaps the next time you go skiing or drive cross country, you could take the time to visit a rural hospital .... just to see how the other half lives. If every hospital had to have anesthesia 24/7 then many hospitals would have to close. That means that people who had to drive 80 miles to a hospital now have to drive even further. That means even driving the doctors out of town to follow the hospitals so that baslic primary care is difficult to obtain. Do yourself a favor and get out and see the world.

At our facility, we have a response time of 20 minutes for the MD's to come to the hospital. Which sort of makes me uneasy most of the time. Alot can change in 20 minutes.

:studyowl: I believe that the main problem was the panic factor. I was born at home - breech - and the doctor did not make it in time. Attending was a midwife - my grandmother. Despite the crisis situation and the fact that it involved her own youngest daughter, my grandmother did not panic and do the wrong things - as witnessed by the fact that I am here 70 years later. Her example was taught to us all through our growing up years: When a crisis presents, do what needs to be done first - then If you feel the need to fall apart, do it when the crisis is past.

oOoOoOoO my gaaaaaaaaad unbleveable i cant imagen the pain the mother went through...

:sniff:

A patient will not just lie still and let you slice open their abdomen if there is no anesthesia of some sort on board regardless of whether "it's for the baby" or any other reason. Get real.

The patient didn't just lie there. The OP later clarified that 3 nurses held the patient down.

Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.
The patient didn't just lie there. The OP later clarified that 3 nurses held the patient down.

And the OP said that the patient was OK with it. She's a very young girl and got to leave with a healthy baby and, according to post, was not traumatized by it. I hope that her surgeon learned from this and will not panic the next time a crisis like this comes about. OB is a businessmuch like anesthesia - long periods of boredom interrupted by short periods of sheer terror. I would love it if this thread died naturally, but if the moderator wants to shoot it, be my guest.

owie!!! ouch!!

:cry: That sounds terrible!

I'm bthinkin 20 minutes is a long long time when you've got a prolapsed cord, unsuccessful vacuum attempt-just a FHR in the basement. Where I worked before the CRNAs were required to stay in-house if they had an epidural going-where I am now, they are out the door before the pt. is even comfortable sometimes! I would much prefer to have anesthesia at the ready. I've been in on 2 "local" c/sections and I don't think the local did the trick at all. It was a horrible experience both times but in both cases we had good outcomes. We were 7 minutes one time from finding a cord prolapsed until the baby was out-that's my idea of code red.

Connie

Are mother and baby ok?

This thread is over a year and a half old........

lol deleting seeing this is really old :p

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