Do you still do timeouts during emergency cases?

[linda2097]

Do you still do timeouts during emergency cases? And does the surgeon still have to mark the operative site?

[KayceeCA]

Yes, unless its a crashing through the doors coding on the table case, we still do time outs in emergencies, and we still mark the operative site. It's probably even more important then, when everyone is trying to rush so much, than at any other time. Of course, if the patient is dying in front of your eyes, you do whatever you can to save the patient and forget everything else.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

There have been times where we're operating on a trauma patient, and don't even have a name. Kind of hard to do the time out without all of the info, although I've jokingly a time or two said "This is some guy who's trying to die and we're not going to let him"

If it's an emergency where 10minutes doesn't make the difference between life and death, then yes, the surgeon must mark and we do a timeout. Most of our docs are good about seeing the patient, calling us, and marking the patient before leaving the bedside.

As for the timeout, we do it while the surgeon is putting on his gown and gloves. If it's something that came screaming into the OR and we don't know everything that we're supposed to state in the new guidelines, we just leave it out and document.

[BrianLee]

We do the same where I am at. Unless it is absolutely impossible we will read it. In fact, one time, on a multi-procedure case, (crani, tib/fib, and closed humerus) someone in the E.R. splinted the wrong arm and it was the consent discreprancy which alerted us to double check the x-rays. It saved the patient and us from a serious problem.

[IsseyM]

There have been times where we're operating on a trauma patient, and don't even have a name. Kind of hard to do the time out without all of the info, although I've jokingly a time or two said "This is some guy who's trying to die and we're not going to let him"

If it's an emergency where 10minutes doesn't make the difference between life and death, then yes, the surgeon must mark and we do a timeout. Most of our docs are good about seeing the patient, calling us, and marking the patient before leaving the bedside.

As for the timeout, we do it while the surgeon is putting on his gown and gloves. If it's something that came screaming into the OR and we don't know everything that we're supposed to state in the new guidelines, we just leave it out and document.

Yep, we do the same also.

[nursinadream]

Good job Brian and your OR team. Thanks for sharing that example about the incorrect arm that you may have worked on. Gives us all something to think about.

Deb