CPR after rigor mortis

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Hello All, Do u know where I can find information referring to Long term care scope of practice for RN's? What is the policy on starting cpr after rigor mortis set in? Thank you:)

Hello All, Do u know where I can find information referring to Long term care scope of practice for RN's? What is the policy on starting cpr after rigor mortis set in? Thank you:)

Good Lord! I've never heard of anything so bloody stupid!!!!

Tell your DON that by the time somebody has rigor it is miles TOO LATE and way to disgusting to do CPR!!

1. pointless

2. should have advanced directives that state, "CPR when death is witnessed" ie sudden cardiac events

3. needs to put in a policy that all residents are checked on at least hourly, even through the night, so that you never find someone with rigor. What if someone is laying on the floor with a broken leg for that long???

What if that case ends up on the coroner's desk? He's going to think that you are not monitoring your residents and that you've all lost your minds for starting CPR! Get it in writing, and make your advanced directives MORE SPECIFIC. It does not have to be black and white, CPR or no CPR.

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Only if the patient's name is Lazarus.

Good one!

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As unbelievable as it is, I actually saw this in a 200 bed hospital.

It was on the med-surg floor, and buddy roe's head nor feet would not touch the bed when the bed was flattened, from being in a hi-fowler's dead for ????(how long????who knows) :smackingf

Not only that, but the moron's who were coding the poor stiff, were running around in the usual hand trembling, wild-eyed, chicken with heads cut off mode that they ALWAYS ran codes with. :no:

(1989, ACL what?)

Don't know if it's changed, Thank God for making a way out of hell for me. :yelclap:

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Well, our nurse educator is teaching that u start cpr on anyone who is not a dnr "NO MATTER WHAT" She said "I don't care what anyone thinks how long they passed, if no DNR start cpr. Personally that does not sound correct to me. But If I am going to stay in this type of setting I need to learn the regulations for myself and not just take someone elses word for it.

In our state, you get an order from the MD a telephone order, stating attempts would be futile, do not start CPR. Some states require a paramedic to do this. If they are in rigor, I would only bag them, til medics arrived. You wouldn't be ableto compress the heart anyway.

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Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.
You no longer have to have a prescription for the heartstart AED and another brand...

Hey there, Bob. Believe you're right about not needing a "script" for some of this equipment.

I wasn't addressing that point though. By "prescripted," I meant not required by the rules, regs, laws, etc., applicable to the premises mentioned. That is, most land use / zoning regulations and directives that I'm familiar with don't mandate AEDs for malls, shopping centers, and the like. That may change down the road.

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You no longer have to have a prescription for the heartstart AED and another brand, and soon any brand im sure.

Yes, actually I found one the other day on Amazon.com. An AED without a prescription. My husband, unfamiliar with how these things work, said, "I can see a bunch of high school kids having a grand old time with one of those."

I can see how they would be helpful, and from what I understand, they are supposed to be foolproof. But fools often do find ways around safety mechanisms. It would scare me to think if one was used in a torture situation. :eek:

(BTW, this is my first time back in a LONG time. Lots of cool, cute emoticons) :yeah:

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
As unbelievable as it is, I actually saw this in a 200 bed hospital.

It was on the med-surg floor, and buddy roe's head nor feet would not touch the bed when the bed was flattened, from being in a hi-fowler's dead for ????(how long????who knows) :smackingf

Not only that, but the moron's who were coding the poor stiff, were running around in the usual hand trembling, wild-eyed, chicken with heads cut off mode that they ALWAYS ran codes with. :no:

(1989, ACL what?)

Don't know if it's changed, Thank God for making a way out of hell for me. :yelclap:

That reminds me of the movie 'Clerks', with the old man in the ambulance. Anyone see it???

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A couple weeks ago at my job at the prison an inmate was found dead while breakfast trays were being passed. A medical emergency call came over the radio and I responded to that unit. The inmate was a 44 yr old morbidly obese male who had stated he had no medical problems and was on no medication, and also stated he used 8 bundles - 80 bags - of heroin per day. He had been at the facility for 24 hours, had c/o being "dope sick" and was on our opiate detox protocol meds. He was on his bunk, w/o pulse and respiration, pupils were fixed and dilated, severe mottling was present, lividity was present in dependent areas and rigor mortis was starting to set in - he wasn't in full rigor, but he wasn't "floppy dead" any longer either. I made the decision we would not begin CPR. Preliminary autopsy report shows and enlarged heart and several occluded vessels. But as it turns out the State views not starting CPR as an error. "No one dies on DOC property". So my new motto while at the jail job is "No one is too dead for me!" CPR will be initiated no matter what!

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That reminds me of the movie 'Clerks', with the old man in the ambulance. Anyone see it???

Are you talking about the old guy who went into the bathroom and died while masturbating....the clerks girlfriend goes in there thinking its her boyfriend with a stiffee and has sex with a dead guy who has dead wood? LOL

I love all Kevin Smith movies except for Jersey girl.......

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Specializes in many.
CPR after rigor? :bugeyes: That's just nuts! The facility where I worked for about 5 years allowed LPN's pronounce death.

I am a bit confused here. Massachusetts only allows RN's to pronounce, by state law. It has nothing to do with facility policy.

Can you give more information regarding LPN's pronouncing please?

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A couple weeks ago at my job at the prison an inmate was found dead while breakfast trays were being passed. A medical emergency call came over the radio and I responded to that unit. The inmate was a 44 yr old morbidly obese male who had stated he had no medical problems and was on no medication, and also stated he used 8 bundles - 80 bags - of heroin per day. He had been at the facility for 24 hours, had c/o being "dope sick" and was on our opiate detox protocol meds. He was on his bunk, w/o pulse and respiration, pupils were fixed and dilated, severe mottling was present, lividity was present in dependent areas and rigor mortis was starting to set in - he wasn't in full rigor, but he wasn't "floppy dead" any longer either. I made the decision we would not begin CPR. Preliminary autopsy report shows and enlarged heart and several occluded vessels. But as it turns out the State views not starting CPR as an error. "No one dies on DOC property". So my new motto while at the jail job is "No one is too dead for me!" CPR will be initiated no matter what!

definitely a cya strategy. and what's lividity?

leslie

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20.jpg

Livor mortis, also known as hypostasis, is the discoloration of the skin due to the pooling of blood in the dependent parts of the body following death. The blood pools because the heart can no longer circulate the blood. Gravity will make the blood settle and the areas where it settles turns to a dark blue or purple color, which is termed 'lividity'.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dlividity%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3DFP-tab-img-t%26fl%3D0%26x%3Dwrt&h=263&w=350&imgcurl=www.iupui.edu%2F%7Epathol%2Fautopsy%2Fmain%2F11%2F18.jpg&imgurl=www.iupui.edu%2F%7Epathol%2Fautopsy%2Fmain%2F11%2F18.jpg&size=14.5kB&name=18.jpg&rcurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iupui.edu%2F%7Epathol%2Fautopsy%2Fmain%2F11%2F11.htm&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iupui.edu%2F%7Epathol%2Fautopsy%2Fmain%2F11%2F11.htm&p=lividity&type=jpeg&no=3&tt=159

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