Have you ever gone in to find a patient dead? What happened?

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Oct 30, 2005

I noe a nurse yet, but I can just imagine. Thanks for sharing :kiss

Ruby Vee, BSN · Oct 30, 2005

about 25 years ago, i took report on my 15 patients and started my initial med and "eyeball the patient" rounds at about 0745. i found a little old lady lying in bed, deader than a doornail. as per protocol, we called a code, etc. but she was stone cold dead. in the aftermath, it was noted that normal vital signs were charted on her at 2am and 6am by the nurse's aide. she had no meds, and no charting by rn.

it just so happened that the 24 hour holter monitor this lady was wearing (didn't get diddly about that in report!) indicated that she had vtached at 2352, v fibbed at 2359 and had been in asystole since 0013. that particular na claimed to be a physician from monrovia who was working as an na "until he passed his boards." he had a reputation for taking vital signs by esp -- and evidently that's what he had done that night. he kept his job; the rn was fired for failure to supervise. and i had to talk to the nurse manager and every other layer of management on up . . . about why didn't i get in to see this lady before 0801, which is when the paging operator noted the code had been called. (after a quarter of a century, i still remember those times because i went over them so many times!)

i have other stories as well, but i'd like to read a few new ones!

ruby

"never assume malice without first ruling out stupidity"

Mississippi_RN · Oct 30, 2005

One of the CNAs came up to me one day and told me to go and check on a patient. Well, I went in there and she was just as cold as ice. The family was in the room and kept asking me "is she ok?". It felt so strange to have to tell them that she had passed. I mean, first of all, I was trying to make REAL sure she was dead... She was a DNR though, so it was a long time coming. Funny thing though, every DNR we have ever had on our floor, tend to die on our floor. I don't recall any of them going home. :uhoh21:

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Oct 30, 2005

Yeah, happens all the time on our floor.

No, seriously! Our patients are monitored, so the monitor tech lets us know if anything weird is going on.

So I've found a couple of patients dead.

We did CPR, called a Code, brought 'em back and sent 'em to the Unit.

Mississippi_RN · Oct 30, 2005

About 25 years ago, I took report on my 15 patients and started my initial med and "eyeball the patient" rounds at about 0745.

LOL...:rotfl: Just goes to show not all these features correct... It says on the side that you are 28...so you would have been 3 when this happened..

:chuckle

fluffwad · Oct 30, 2005

Yup. One night I was working a hospice unit ( 8 beds reserved for our hospice's patients who where having issues that couldn't be dealt with at home). Went in at 6am to check on lady #1, and she was gone. Decided to take a peak at my other people before I started on the post mortum care, and lady #2 was also gone.

This wasnt really unusual...our hospice unit took the really unstable, end-stage patients. But sometimes it seemed like the Reaper brought a bus...........

So, by this time the other nurse on duty was also checking her folks out and patient #8 looked like he was gone.......we were both listening for an apical pulse we weren't getting for at least 60 seconds and we were just getting ready to say " he's gone" when he sucked in a huge breath of air and opened his eyes........I almost peed myself!

Ruby Vee, BSN · Oct 30, 2005

lol...:rotfl: just goes to show not all these features correct... it says on the side that you are 28...so you would have been 3 when this happened..
:chuckle

i've been a nurse for 28 years -- somehow when they put in the new software, my age changed! don't know what's up with that! ruby

DusktilDawn · Oct 30, 2005

Yup. One night I was working a hospice unit ( 8 beds reserved for our hospice's patients who where having issues that couldn't be dealt with at home). Went in at 6am to check on lady #1, and she was gone. Decided to take a peak at my other people before I started on the post mortum care, and lady #2 was also gone.
This wasnt really unusual...our hospice unit took the really unstable, end-stage patients. But sometimes it seemed like the Reaper brought a bus...........
So, by this time the other nurse on duty was also checking her folks out and patient #8 looked like he was gone.......we were both listening for an apical pulse we weren't getting for at least 60 seconds and we were just getting ready to say " he's gone" when he sucked in a huge breath of air and opened his eyes........I almost peed myself!

Had a similar incident. I had called the doc to pronounce the patient after finding no signs of life, when the doctor came in the room the patient let out one last audible breath and then died. I think he was waiting for his doctor to arrive.

Another incident, the patient was DNR, comfort measures, however it did not look like this gentleman was going to die anytime soon. Myself and another nurse had just turned & repositioned this gentleman. 10 minutes later the IV nurse (at that time the IV team changed sites) came to the desk and asked us if we knew that the patient in rm___ was dead. We were stunned.

Chad_KY_SRNA · Oct 31, 2005

Yep, many times. Check for Breathing and Pulse and go get help/check code status. Most recently, I walked in and found a patient in cardiac arrest, I ran to the nurses station, I checked the end of the chart, patient was a DNR. I then started looking for a stethoscope so I could confirm that he was gone and could not find one to save my life. I asked the Restorative Nurse "who do I have to molest to get a stethoscope around here?" She said "I don't know but its not me". Well I finally found one and went back to the room. He had passed away. I checked on a little woman at 6:45am and she was in the bed asleep breathing normally. At 7:15am when the day shift nurse aide passing breakfast trays found her slumped over the bed rail with a skin tear down her leg dead. I worked a full code on a woman who had been talking to her roomates family and was in cardiac arrest when the 3-11 nurse aide brought the dinner trays ten minutes later. I hate for someone to die alone, If I know they are going I will try to check on them often and after my work is done I will go sit with a dying person.

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Oct 31, 2005

i've been a nurse for 28 years -- somehow when they put in the new software, my age changed! don't know what's up with that! ruby

i'm still seeing your age as 50, the same as me. i'm a sept 55 baby, what about you?

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Oct 31, 2005

It's them dad-gum toilets! They'll do it every time! :chuckle Our cardiac stepdown unit was always having codes in the bathrooms! The patient goes vagal and it's all over in a split second. They don't even have time to yell for help. This is why you don't want to be constipated and have to strain at passing stool.