Family in room during a resusitation?

Specialties Emergency

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What has been your experience with this? Our hospital has started encouraging the pts family to be in the room during a code. They say that they are more accepting of the outcome if they are present. Perhaps its that they can see that everything was done. I'm not really comfortable about this. Has anyone here had a pts family in the room during a code?

The last family member I brought into the room was an adult son. Dad had collapsed at home & the family had witnessed all the efforts by EMS on scene. Who am I to bar them just because we were now "in the hospital"? The wife was too distraught & asked the son to "go be with him". The son was shaken but calm & felt he could handle seeing the resuscitation. I moved him to the foot of the bed, he occasionally would touch Dad's feet & say "Come on Dad" or "I love you Dad".

When it came time to tell the rest of the family that Dad had died, the son was a valuable link between us & the survivors. I think the widow was comforted by the fact that her husband didn't die alone & that their son was watching after him.

AMEN!!! This can be a necessary step in the healing process for the family

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I THINK ITS A REAL GOOD IDEA TO HAVE FAMILY NOT ONLY IN THE ROOM, BUT AT THE BEDSIDE IF POSSIBLE. SURE IT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT SINCE WHEN WERE YOU THE IMPORTANT ONE HERE. THIS GUY IS DYING.... THATS A REAL BIG WORD, DYING. SO WHILE WE ARE THROWIN AS MANY IV'S IN AS WE CAN, AND STUFFIN A TUBE THE SIZE OF YOUR FRIGGIN THUMB DOWN A THROAT, WOULDNT YOU WANT TO BE THERE? EITHER TO SEE THAT ALL WAS DONE, OR JUST TO SAY GOODBYE.

I REMEMBER ONCE A MAN HAD A SZ WHILE DRIVING, STERNUM HIT THE WHEEL, LESS THAN A MILE FROM THE HOSPITAL. (HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO VISIT HIS WIFE WHO WAS AN INPATIENT) SOMEONE WENT TO THE WIFES ROOM, AND SHE SAT AT HIS HEAD TALKING TO HIM THE ENTIRE TIME. I WAS 6 INCHES FROM HER DOING CPR, AND WITH EVERY PUSH, HEARING THE CRUCH OF RIBS.

SHE LATER TOLD ME SHE APPRECIATED ME LETTING HER BE WITH HIM WHEN HE DIED. SHE LITERALLY SAT BETWEEN A DOC INTUBATING AND THE NURSE DOING CPR.

ITS A GOOD THING...

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Heving been both a family member in the room during a code (my sweet daddy who unexpectedly went from being perfectly healthy to dead) and having family members in a code (NICU and ICU) I have to say that being there and having them there is, in most cases, better for the patient and the family. Of course there are exceptions to every circumstance, and blanket policies must have flexibility...ie a hysterical or drunken family member.

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I am an advocate for families being in the code with their loved one.

Let me just say, wild horses could not drag from the side of my child or husband...

I think we all get so caught up in the life-saving part of it...we forget that it is someone's father/mother/child/sister/brother...we are jumping on...We don't want to admit that we may not be able to save them...and now there are witnesses to the fact that we CANNOT save them all...no matter how hard we try.

We always have a staf member explaining as things are progressing...

If the code is going to be called...we give the family an opportunity to come up to the head and say what they need to say to their loved one.

When a previous poster was commenting on being the person to hear the 17 y/o's last words...I got chills...that should have been the mom.

I am sure that moment would have been some solace in the horror of losing a child.

No matter how crazy it gets in the code...if the family wants to be there...they should be there.

Just my humble opinion.

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