I fainted today in OR:(

smf0903 · Feb 19, 2015

I cannot tell you the number of stories I have heard of people who fainted or threw up their first OR experience! Offhand I can tell you I heard fainting/vomiting stories from 2 doctors, a midwife, a CRNA, and a handful of nurses who passed out (only one I remember that threw up) their first time. Look at it this way, at least you knew it was coming and didn't fall into the sterile field or anything :up:

I'm sorry it happened...I know some things are hard to swallow even if people reassure you that you're not the first and certainly won't be the last to do it! (((hugs)))

furelite · Feb 19, 2015

Don't worry about it at all. It happens to everyone, and sometimes in the most unexpected places. I am not squeamish all. I have put in many IVs. The other night I was at clinical, was trying to start an IV and was having a hard time with it and suddenly I almost passed out. The room was warm, I felt dizzy and had to sit down. NEVER happened before in any situation and this one wasn't even bloody or gross or anything! Your body sometimes does weird things. I was talking to a med school resident the other day. He said EVERY student in his class at one point either fainted or almost fainted during a surgery.

mirandaaa · Feb 19, 2015

A couple of fainting spells aren't anything to be too worried over (but perhaps being an OR nurse wouldn't be for you!).

A long time ago when my mom was in nursing school, she told me that it was the very last semester and one of the girls in her class just straight left during a knee surgery because she couldn't handle it. And by left, I mean totally left the nursing program. All that time, blood, sweat, and tears spent on nursing school and she quit the last semester because she couldn't handle the knee surgery.

The OR can be very stomach-turning, so don't be too upset about it! You'll do fine.

llg, PhD, RN · Feb 19, 2015

Hmmm... I think you should take some time to think if there is any specific reason you fainted. The fact that the first time was in a learning lab with no real blood makes me wonder if there is some other reason you fainted and it was not the site of blood that caused it.

Some people do faint at the sight of blood -- even in small amounts -- and they don't get over it. If that is the case for you, then yes, maybe you should rethink your career. Have you been exposed to blood in the past and not fainted? If so, then maybe the blood is not the issue.

Could it be blood pressure -- postural hypotension? Were you standing very still, with you knees "locked", and were you tense all over during both of these fainting incidents? Sometimes, standing very still for a long period of time causes a decreased blood flow to the brain. Think back to those incidents and to other similar events in your life. Could it be that your blood pressure dipped and that's what caused you to faint? If that's the case, moving around a bit, keeping the blood flowing, etc. could help you.

Had you eaten breakfast both mornings? Sometimes when peopel don't eat breakfast, their blood sugar dips and they get a little woozy when they have to stand on their feet for a long time.

In short, don't assume that it was the sight of blood that caused you to faint. Think it through and consider other possibilities -- ones that you might be able to do something about.

scottaprn · Feb 19, 2015

I can't even count the number of people I have seen pass out in the OR. The sights, smells, noise etc can be overwhelming.

I scrub cases every week and just a couple months ago I had to tell the surgeon to hold on for a quick second so I could catch my breath when an odor hit me. The staff gave me a hard time in a good natured way. Everyone has been there.

If you get a chance to see another surgery take it and let the circulator know that you passed out last time. That way they will keep a close eye on you.

Editorial Team / Admin · Feb 19, 2015

If you have another OR observation later in your clinicals, you may find this thread helpful: https://allnurses.com/operating-room-nursing/soooo-youre-observing-142748.html

Especially this part:

A couple of tips and such to help:
Misc. Rules:
Eat a good breakfast that morning. I don't mean an energy bar, i mean eggs, sausage, OJ and toast.
Don't lock your knees while watching. Step around a little bit, even if you don't have much room to move.
If you feel weak, step out. If you're in a total joint room and aren't "allowed" to leave, at least sit down. And if you are allowed to leave a TJ room, chances are you can't come back in, because of infection control.
If the smell is overwhelming (and there's a high possibility of this), bring alcohol swabs with you. Poke one inside of your mask when needed. VapoRub inside of the mask has the same effect, but the alcohol swabs are everywhere.

It's definitely not unheard of for nursing students or anyone else observing in the OR to faint. Heck, I've even had a medical resident faint in the OR who was then brought into the preop area and had an IV started (attending took care of the orders). Not necessarily time to rethink your career if this is only an isolated incident, but you may want to take it into account when choosing what type of nursing to work in.

Jenniferocious · Feb 20, 2015

Hey! When I was in my second semester we had to observe in the OR. I was super excited and really looking forward to watching the procedures. The facility that we observed at happened to be at the same facility that I had had a surgical procedure done at a few years ago.. and my first surgery to observe happened to be the same procedure (not identical, but very close) and performed by the same surgeon that did mine!!! :snurse:

Initially I was fine, and the nurse asked if I would like to come up to the head of the patient to observe closer. So I did.. Then all of a sudden I started feeling flushed, and the mask was on my face and I was sweating.. I remember looking at the clock and thinking.. this is at least a 4-5 hour procedure.. I have to pee! The nurse looked at me and asked if I wanted to sit down and I declined.. saying I was fine and not to worry... Next thing I remember I was hunched over and she was rubbing my back trying to wake me up.

They carted me out and hooked me up to a pulse ox and BP in the PACU. I was mortified. EVERYONE kept telling me how common it was, but I was so embarrassed. Even the anesthesiologist told me a story about his first time!

It's funny because I have no problems with seeing stuff now. I think it actually made me a little stronger.. maybe I just needed to get it out of my system? I did hear that the next student that came in the following week was asked by the surgeon if he/she was going to faint like last weeks student.. lol, otherwise, no harm done.

I think you will become desensitized to it like I feel I have. There are a lot of options you can look at with nursing, so keep doing what you are doing..

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Feb 20, 2015

I worked with a world famous surgeon who confessed to me once that he fainted in medical school TWICE. Once during surgery and another time attending a childbirth. Knowing him, he probably did not eat, but it can happen to anyone

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Feb 20, 2015

Hey, I'm hypervagal - first fainting episodes as a small child after even the smallest bump or injury. Other than scaring my poor parents & bystanders, there was no harm done. Every time I received a vaccination, I swooned (love that word, makes it sound like I'm all girly and fragile, doncha think?) even though I was absolutely not afraid of the shot itself. I was the bane of school nurses. By the time I was 10 or so, I could anticipate & take some preventative measures that sometimes worked. Mostly putting my head down below the level of my heart. However, I can tell you from experience that this position also makes it super-easy to just somersault out of the chair if you do lose consciousness - LOL.

I still vagal with seemingly minor triggers such as vomiting or any type of sharp pain. My family is used to it. Healthcare providers, not so much although nurses are much better than folks like the resident who tried to draw ABGs - luckily I had warned the nurse so he didn't have a chance to shoot me full of Atropine when I went brady and passed out.

In nursing school, I discovered that my patient care 'swoons' were triggered by empathy with (what I imagined to be) the patient's suffering - but this lessened over time. I didn't have any issues if the patient was anesthetized or pain-free during the procedure. By the time I graduated, I could even assist with a debridement and not experience any problems.

I'm sure you will 'grow out of it'. It's not a deal breaker.

HeyRN88 · Feb 20, 2015

During nursing school we had an OR rotation and I was super excited. It was an early morning clinical so I skipped breakfast (bad idea). I was running around with the OR nurse for the first two hours, getting the pre op paper work and prepping the Pt. 15 mins into the actual surgery I passed out. I was sitting on a stool next to the surgeon. I woke up on the OR floor, looked up and I see the surgeon laughing while still operating, and he says "are you ok? don't worry you are not the first one". I was so embarrassed! But the staff was great. I got some OJ and a sandwich. Went on to see two more surgeries without passing out. Moral of the story? Don't skip breakfast!!!

Fruit Sucker · Feb 20, 2015

Hey, I'm hypervagal - first fainting episodes as a small child after even the smallest bump or injury. Other than scaring my poor parents & bystanders, there was no harm done. Every time I received a vaccination, I swooned (love that word, makes it sound like I'm all girly and fragile, doncha think?) even though I was absolutely not afraid of the shot itself. I was the bane of school nurses. By the time I was 10 or so, I could anticipate & take some preventative measures that sometimes worked. Mostly putting my head down below the level of my heart. However, I can tell you from experience that this position also makes it super-easy to just somersault out of the chair if you do lose consciousness - LOL.
I still vagal with seemingly minor triggers such as vomiting or any type of sharp pain. My family is used to it. Healthcare providers, not so much although nurses are much better than folks like the resident who tried to draw ABGs - luckily I had warned the nurse so he didn't have a chance to shoot me full of Atropine when I went brady and passed out.
In nursing school, I discovered that my patient care 'swoons' were triggered by empathy with (what I imagined to be) the patient's suffering - but this lessened over time. I didn't have any issues if the patient was anesthetized or pain-free during the procedure. By the time I graduated, I could even assist with a debridement and not experience any problems.
I'm sure you will 'grow out of it'. It's not a deal breaker.

I am too! Are your pupils abnormally large/dilated like mine are?

I used to faint over nothing when I was a child- if I banged my funny bone, got too hot, or something poked into me around my ribs. I learned after a while to just get down on the floor when it's coming. It's gotten so much better as I get older though. I still get ringing ears and spotty vision if I bump my elbow or something, but I can usually shake it off.