Dumbest Pt Family Statement or Question

Published

Specializes in med-surg.

okay, we have the chart what you could if you could get away with it thread so this is my curious question because well read for yourself....

pt's family member said "he doesn't breathe well with out his nasal cannula." in response trying to leave out a smart ass tone i stated, " i know, that's why i put o2 on him flowing at 2l so his sats increase from 88% to 96%. please leave it on him.":icon_roll:icon_roll

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Specializes in NICU Level III.

Is he ticklish? - Mom asking about her preemie... uh..we try NOT to overstimulate them.

When can he be circumsized?! - Dad asking about his new son as he is .. being intubated after birth..

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

A family member asked me, "Am I allowed to visit my mother?"

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"I read on the internet........................."

I mean, I suppose you don't have to go to medical school to be a doctor..................apparently you can just read on the internet...............

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Specializes in LTC, case mgmt, agency.

" I read on the internet that Morphine can cause your breathing to slow down. Do you guys watch for that? "

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Specializes in Med-Surg, ICU.

They asked about their loved one who was on a vent:

"Does he/she still have lungs?" (can't remember if it was a man or woman)

:icon_roll

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

Had a patient that vomited while we were intubated her and she was a wreck for the entire shift, we needed to put in multiple lines and chest tubes and one of the family members asked "Can I watch". NO!

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

twenty-something patient with a lung transplant, and he's still on a ventilator after a week. mom wants to give him a drink. day nurse tells him no, but allows her to give him wet sponges to suck on. (all you icu nurses know what i'm talking about.) so then mom thinks it would be nice if the sponges were flavored. day nurse lets her soak sponges in snapple and then give them to patient to suck on. mother has a 16 ounce jar of snapple at 4pm; at 7 pm when i'm coming on, there's about 15 cc of it left. patient vomits while i'm getting report, aspirates, and mom pulls out ett "because it's choking him." code is called, patient is re-intubated, physicians explain connection between sucking on snapple, vomiting, aspirating, getting traumatically extubated, aspirating again and getting re-intubated. mom wants to know why son isn't "talking" to her anymore. i explain that it's because of the drugs we gave him when we intubated him. i convince mom to leave. dad calls manager and insists that mom be allowed to stay all night. despite the fact that it is against our policy, manager allows mom to stay all night.

i go to lunch about 2am, and the nurse who is covering observes mom once again giving patient snapple soaked sponges to suck on, but lets it continue because she "doesn't want to make waves." i explain relationship between npo patient being given snapple and vomiting, aspiration, pneumonia, and increased icu stays.

mom says "i know how to take care of my son" and requests a different nurse. she wants a nurse who will let her give son snapple "because he's thirsty." charge nurse is brighter than manager and tells her "no way."

i request a different assignment when i come back the next night.

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

Yeah, totally understand that Ruby. I usually do the.."I know you are concerned about your family member. I perform oral care every 2 hours to keep your family member's mouth clean and moist. Rest assured that your family member is not dehydrated because they are getting enough fluid through their I.V. to keep them hydrated.. If your family member drinks anything with this large tube in his airway and it gets into his lung, he will be on this vent longer and will remain in the hospital longer too because of potential infection and lung injury."

Ruby if I had that much trouble with a family member like that I would have called the house supervisor and security to escort family member out. I wouldn't have cared if it was his mother.

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Specializes in ER/ICU/Flight.

As we were taking a patient to the helipad at a small hospital to transfer him back to the level 1 center, one of the family members grabbed my arm and said "Is anyone going to be in there with him when he's flying??"

My first response was "Of course, there will be a pilot."

then I thought, "No. We're all going to stay here while he flies himself to the hospital."

then I wanted to say, "Hmmm...someone in there with him?? What a great idea! this changes everything!!"

Instead I said, "Yes ma'am. We'll be right there the whole time."

To which she replied, "Good. He's afraid of heights."

He was unconscious and intubated. I just said "Well, hopefully he'll keep sleeping."

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Specializes in ICU.

Earlier this year, young male patient intubated, vented, multiple infusions, with traumatic brain injury caused when he fell off a roof during a robbery. Not doing very well. We had 'that' conversation with the family, that if he lived he would be profoundly brain damaged and have no meaningful quality of life.

They asked if he could have a brain transplant.

What do you say to that?

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Specializes in Geriatrics.
Earlier this year, young male patient intubated, vented, multiple infusions, with traumatic brain injury caused when he fell off a roof during a robbery. Not doing very well. We had 'that' conversation with the family, that if he lived he would be profoundly brain damaged and have no meaningful quality of life.

They asked if he could have a brain transplant.

What do you say to that?

I would've said "Sure! He can have mine!" (just to be snarky)

Blessings, Michelle

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