Refusing to do CPR

live4today, RN · Jun 11, 2002

(((hugs))) Brian. So sorry for the loss of your mother and how her death occurred. I do not understand for the life of me why things happen that are under our control to do something about, but unfortunately, there are people who just don't get it. I hope you take NurseDennie up on her advice and seek some counseling for yourself so that you can come to terms with your loss, and how it happened, or even why it happened. Your mother would want you to move on and live a happy and peace-filled life. Cherish her memory, and allow the part of her that is in you to live on. You are in my prayers, too. :kiss

As for the first scenario mentioned by nursegoodguy, sounds like the dayshift nurse should have been terminated and not the night nurse. What a mess! I hope the truth comes to light about what happened here and the right person be dealt with. Any nurse who refuses to do CPR until the EMTs arrive should be fired and reported to the State Board of Nursing where she/he works.

:rolleyes:

Huganurse · Jun 11, 2002

Thanks Brian for helping me to understand your situation. I shouldn't have made you explain yourself for my own benefit, please accept my sincere apology.

Carolyn859 · Jun 11, 2002

I am currently a Director of Nursing in Home Care but worked in sub acute and LTC management for many years. Number one error was not reporting the head injury to the physician. The question would then be were neuros initiated? Most facilities(and all should) have protocols for head injuries. Back to bed immediately would be the first step then neuros and v/s. MD notification is imperative and most nursing homes are required to report head injuries, falls with fractures to state authorities within a period of time. Initiating neuros and v/s may or maynot have given any warning but sure would let everyone look a lot less foolish. CPR is not initiated whenever positive signs of death are obvious to you. This is Rigor Mortis,tissue decomposition,severe mutilation(decapitation),lividity, and cold lifeless body in warm environment. Otherwise when the person is a full code all attempts to resucitate should be initiated. To me, all were responsible at varying levels. This man did not get the care he deserved but thank God you came along. The person who refused to do CPR should be reported to the Nursing Commission and terminated. I have little tolerance for those who refuse to do that for which they were trained. Amazing!

Cascadians · Jun 11, 2002

BrianWhitfield, our sympathies to you.

CNAs in Oregon cannot work without having up-to-date CPR certification.

Sometimes RNs and Drs and all types can be WRONG.

A good caregiver will have enough experience to know when to trust his/her intuition and when to trust his/her observations sufficiently to override everything and ensure help is obtained.

It a facility squelches the caregiving instincts of its employees, it is going to have troubles and be detrimental to patients

An experienced caregiver knows that codes are extremely messy, scary and time-consuming and will MAKE SURE that if a patient is exhibiting any chance of heading toward a code, that all specialists are summoned if necessary to prevent a code.

Health personnel learn this more quickly working in a hospital than working in a nursing home.

The RN responsible should have gone to examine the patient at the first complaint of chest pain.

So very sorry that you and your mother went through this tragedy. Thank you for caring enough to relate your experience so that healthcare personnel can hear it "from the other side." That always makes us more alert!

OrthoNutter · Jun 12, 2002

Brian...

I would have thought that she would have AT LEAST had her license suspended, until such times as the state board could properly review her case. Allowing her to continue nursing practice without a thorough assessment, especially after an incident such as this, is sheer stupidity.

You're not the only one to have lost someone through medical incompetence. I lost my father many years ago because of this and that is probably one of the biggest reason why I became a nurse - thought I could change the system from the inside. It's taken me seven years to realise that the system cannot be changed by one person and for all the good work I do for a patient, there's a dozen more incompetent twits out there who will undo it.

BrianWhitfield · Jun 12, 2002

Cathy: - No, I am not a nurse. I am an engineer doing work in the defense industry. I came across this forum in my ongoing search for information about nurses and how this could possibly happen.

Huganurse: - Thanks for the words. Yes, it has been very hard for me. When the incident first happened, I did interviews on the 3 local TV stations and the newspaper. I have been trying to keep the pressure on the state attorney general to persue the case. Anybody interested in help assert pressure can email the AG from his web-page at http://www.ago.state.al.us/ (Reference the Maude Whitfield/Whitesburg Gardens case) Since the initial TV interviews, the media has not been responsive to my inquiries. Also, I think my attorney probably wants me to be careful about not harassing the NH. (By the way, I do have a civil suit against the NH)

Cascadians: - The RN did have a CPR certification. It's valid until next November.

susanmary · Jun 12, 2002

Heart-felt sympathy and prayers out to you Brian. You wrote you feel guilty and angry. You do not have anything to feel guilty about -- you entrusted your mother to a facility that should have provided a safe environment. I can understand your anger -- and feel very sorry for what you are going through. But please please please do not feel guilty. Your attorney needs to see this through.

Prayers and good thoughts are being sent out to you.

Sue

Cooker93 · Jun 12, 2002

I currently work in LTC and have for years. If the resident falls, you assess and depending on the assessment, continue to do neuro's, call the Dr., check code status, and/or send to ER. If there is a laceration-put ice on it and send res. out if he needs sutures. If the res. is doing ok, then goes bad, either send immediately(if time) or start CPR if they are a full code or nothing is listed. If you start CPR, you call 911. You don't start CPR on a resident who has vital signs, or if the body is COLD and/or stiff. You know it is definately too late. I came in to work one morning @ 7- got report and found a resident with No vital signs, trunk of body was COLD, and definate rigor was set in. The night shift said they noticed he was still alive @ 5:30am and all wrote statements to that effect. I know it takes about 3 hours for rigor to really start setting in good (inside a bldg. with heat).

Anyway, the night nurse did her job. The day nurse should have started CPR and then she could have handed it off to someone else as they showed up. I did CPR on a resident who had vomited. I had trouble doing it (gagging about every other breath), and then remembered the ambu bag, but the resident was alive with a pulse when she left the facility to go to the hospital.

RNforLongTime · Jun 12, 2002

Brian,

My sincere apologies for the loss of you mother! That RN at the nursing home gives us a bad name. Thank you for not holding one RN's inactions against the entire profession.

Have you considered filing a lawsuit against the hospital for allowing that RN to continue to work after assaulting a resident? At the nursing home I worked at in PA, that was grounds for immediate dismissal, no questions asked! It is apparant that the Nursing home is also negligent in this case. Good luck and I'll keep you in my prayers.

Jenny P · Jun 12, 2002

Nursegoodguy, you walked into one heck of a mess that day! THANK YOU FOR DOING CPR! I'm sorry, but in my opinion, that day RN should be fired and never allowed to work again!

Brian, I am so sorry for you and your mother! That RN who ignored your mothers' pain should never work in the health field again-- you have recourse through the Board of Nursing, but also through the courts-- sue her! And I'm glad you have a civil suit against the nursing home also! My hope here is that by suing both the RN and Nursing Home, you will get their attention (and maybe the media will pay attention also). I would guess that that RN does NOT have malpractice insurance, so she might be forced to quit nursing.

BrianWhitfield · Jun 12, 2002

Thanks Jenny. The Alabama Board of nursing has the case "under review". However, since they have been reviewing it for 8 months, I tend to suspect that they will try to sweep it under the carpet and cover it up. My issue with the nursing home itself is that they had received notifications concerning abusive and erratic behavior by the RN and failed to act upon it. She had assaulted an elderly man the week before and the only action the administrator took was to reassign her to another hallway because the man was so terrified of her. One thing I don't understand is, if a common everyday person had walked in off the street and assaulted an elderly man and then done this to my mother, they would have locked them up right away. It's almost like the authorities consider her having a RN license sometype of expemption from the law.

Like I had stated earlier, the state attorney general's office is planning to present the case to a grand jury eventually. But it's been 8 months....the bureaucracy is frustrating....

nursegoodguy · Jun 12, 2002

Poor Brian!

I don't want to go over who I think was right and wrong because that is so evident!

Loosing a loved one is a life changing experience and you will never be the same again. I know from experience... I hope that once in a while you'll do a little something special just for you... be that a movie, a walk in the park, checking out something fun on the internet, just do something nice for yourself that you enjoy...