Ugh-worst thing I've ever done to a patient...

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in ER/Critical Care.

:bluecry1:So last night I had the WORST experience that I've had since I started working in hospitals 8 years ago, and I just need to get it out to people that will understand.

Last night a nurse called out for help as she had just pulled a central line from the pt's IJ and he went asystolic. So we called the code and everyone went into action. When I walked in she was trying to hold pressure on his neck with one hand and do compressions with the other hand so I got ready to do compressions. When she stopped I checked a pulse-still asystole on the monitor and no pulse. So I start doing compressions-first compression I feel one rib break, and on the second I feel two more ribs break and (here's the worst part) the patient makes eye contact with me and hollers out "OW!" :no: It scared the living day lights out of me, but when I stopped compressions (reflexively) he was without a pulse again and started to loose consciousness.

So I ended up doing about a minute and a half of chest compressions on a guy who was awake (when I would stop he would go out, then I'd start and he would wake back up)! It was absolutely the worst thing I have ever done to someone, and I truly can't imagine anything worse. I felt like crying I felt so bad. I know it was to save his life, but still.....I just can't get over how horrible it was to have him watching me, in pain, while I broke more ribs.

And of course to top it off he was one of the sweetest patients we've had on our floor in a long time. (After he woke up he was thanking us for doing our job when I was asking if he was having pain.) And I thought us shocking someone while he was awake enough to feel was bad....but this totally topped that experience!

Sorry to share such a downer story, but this is somewhat therapeutic for me and I'm not sure anyone else will understand this besides fellow nurses....

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...And of course to top it off he was one of the sweetest patients we've had on our floor in a long time. (After he woke up he was thanking us for doing our job when I was asking if he was having pain.) ....

You sound pretty torn up over it, but really, it sounds so, so sweet --- not the ribs and stuff, but the patient being so kind, and you feeling so empathetic about the "ow" and the ribs. (and let's not forget about the part where the guy LIVES!)

Have some tea, hon, and get some rest, you deserve it.:bow:

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Specializes in LTC.

Wow. That's bizzare.

I'm sorry you had to go through that. It must have been terrifying. They always tell you not to worry about hurting the patient when performing CPR, they're dead and you can't do anything else to hurt them, but in this case....

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Specializes in orthopaedics.

:kiss:icon_hug::icon_hug:you did a great job and saved his life.

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Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

I had a girl who had been shot in the abdomen with buck shot . She was so patient but just seeing that pretty girl being so brave with that 18" x 18" hole in her abdominal wall is pretty much the worst thing . It had to be packed every 4 hours and it took about 2 hours to do it.

The there was the guy who had a disarticulated hip who.......

You don't want to hear from us oldbies anyway.

The pretty girl healed, got married and had a beautiful baby within 10 years.......so it really wasn't so bad after all.

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I cardioverted an unconsious man in SVT when I was working as a paramedic and he sat up and told me if I did it again he would kill me! And he was serious! This was back in the day when they would not let us presedate them. But it did scare me!

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Specializes in CVICU, Burns, Trauma, BMT, Infection control.

You were doing such good compressions on him that it restored his circulation and that's why he woke up everytime. Quite often,I don't know what percent,ribs are broken during CPR even with perfect hand placement,it can't always be helped. It sounds like he got an air embolism after d/c of IJ line,was he sitting up? Pt's who are sitting up,dehydrated or breathing deeply have more of a chance of getting an air embolus when a central line is D/c'd. It's best to lay someone as flat as they'll tolerate and have them hold their breath as the line is pulled. It used to happen a lot more with the big needle holder lines.

You did a good job.:yeah:

And it's always the nicest ones.

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Specializes in oncology, trauma, home health.

WOW! What a story!

Great job! And I agree with above, he lived!! He lived because of you!

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

Awwwww, bless your heart. :icon_hug: You are a good nurse.

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Specializes in ICU.
:bluecry1:So last night I had the WORST experience that I've had since I started working in hospitals 8 years ago, and I just need to get it out to people that will understand.

Last night a nurse called out for help as she had just pulled a central line from the pt's IJ and he went asystolic. So we called the code and everyone went into action. When I walked in she was trying to hold pressure on his neck with one hand and do compressions with the other hand so I got ready to do compressions. When she stopped I checked a pulse-still asystole on the monitor and no pulse. So I start doing compressions-first compression I feel one rib break, and on the second I feel two more ribs break and (here's the worst part) the patient makes eye contact with me and hollers out "OW!" :no: It scared the living day lights out of me, but when I stopped compressions (reflexively) he was without a pulse again and started to loose consciousness.

So I ended up doing about a minute and a half of chest compressions on a guy who was awake (when I would stop he would go out, then I'd start and he would wake back up)! It was absolutely the worst thing I have ever done to someone, and I truly can't imagine anything worse. I felt like crying I felt so bad. I know it was to save his life, but still.....I just can't get over how horrible it was to have him watching me, in pain, while I broke more ribs.

And of course to top it off he was one of the sweetest patients we've had on our floor in a long time. (After he woke up he was thanking us for doing our job when I was asking if he was having pain.) And I thought us shocking someone while he was awake enough to feel was bad....but this totally topped that experience!

Sorry to share such a downer story, but this is somewhat therapeutic for me and I'm not sure anyone else will understand this besides fellow nurses....

so he lived, right??

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Specializes in Cath lab, EP lab, CTICU.

while working a case in the cath lab, my (unbelievably hairy) patient went in to VF after an RCA injection. back then we had these old school defibrillators and for some reason the hospital opted to go with these orange electroconductive pads (not defib pads) instead of the goop. these pads looked a lot like the american cheese slices, anyway, they were just as difficult to open. back to my story, guy goes into VF, i get the paddles and the pads, i try to open the pads, the package opens weird, making it nearly impossible to open while holding the paddles. so i ditch the pads and shock the patient with the paddles without the pads. good news is that the pt's in sinus, bad news is that the shock produces a puff of smoke and 1st degree burns... not to mention the smell of singed hair that lasted the whole day.

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Specializes in LTC.

I've broken ribs during CPR before. It's a terrible feeling. And of course you cringe every time you have to do another compression after you know you've already broken at least one rib. Lucky for you, your pt lived. Unfortunately, the last one I had to do CPR on did not make it despite my best efforts and that of my fellow nurses who were helping with the code.

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