I just had my first ER patient death. (Not my FIRST death, just first in the ER).
It was very slow and dignified. 90+ LOL with a massive head bleed (original complaint was headache), came in initally reponsive, but eventually went unresponsive and slowly withered away. There was a DNR order, so we could relax. All I did was pray that the son and family made it before she passed, they did. Hospice was consulted but it was decided that she would probably not make the ambulance ride over there. We watched her BP and O2 sat dwindle away to nothing. All in all, it took 5 hrs or so. The family was ready and very appreciate of us, though I felt like we did nothing.
Now, if only they were all like that.
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I just had my first ER patient death. (Not my FIRST death, just first in the ER).
It was very slow and dignified. 90+ LOL with a massive head bleed (original complaint was headache), came in initally reponsive, but eventually went unresponsive and slowly withered away. There was a DNR order, so we could relax. All I did was pray that the son and family made it before she passed, they did. Hospice was consulted but it was decided that she would probably not make the ambulance ride over there. We watched her BP and O2 sat dwindle away to nothing. All in all, it took 5 hrs or so. The family was ready and very appreciate of us, though I felt like we did nothing.
Now, if only they were all like that.