Interesting Read

apaisRN, RN, CRNA · May 29, 2005

Just curious from the outside, is it common place to have a neonate and adult code cart in the room (or right outside the door) at deliveries?

I certainly hope so.

MissJoRN, RN · May 29, 2005

Just curious from the outside, is it common place to have a neonate and adult code cart in the room (or right outside the door) at deliveries?

Not anywhere that I've seen- my experience is limited to nursing school in one hospital and working maternal child in a second. In our hospital there is no neo code cart- anything that may be needed is kept in the drawers of the radiant warming crib, which of course is in the room. (NALS taught that warming the baby is right up there with the ABCs!!) Every warmer is restocked after a delivery and set up with a bulb sxn on the bed, ambu, ETT, and scope "right there" Meds, fluids are infrequently used but handy. Other stuff prepared as indicated by monitoring or prenatal US (ie knowing baby has a congenital heart)

Mom's a different story- we have a smaller unit (14 LDRP rooms, 2 ORs) with 2 code carts- one in OR one in main birth suite area. It's not practical to bring in the cart for every delivery, very rarely needed, and then we would need more. Of course there have been times that it seemed indicated and the cart would be moved to a room "just in case" with everyone aware, just like any other nursing unit or your ORs.

I've done nursery, post partum, and sections only, so can't comment on epidural procedures

asher315 · May 29, 2005

It is a tragedy and my heart goes out to this father and his son. But I wanted to ask about the last paragraph of the story...a newborn was given CO2 instead of O2???

vinnyvangoh · Jun 10, 2005

No oxygen for six to eight minutes??

heartICU · Jun 10, 2005

It is a tragedy and my heart goes out to this father and his son. But I wanted to ask about the last paragraph of the story...a newborn was given CO2 instead of O2???

Some of the old anesthesia machines had the ability to give CO2 along with other gases. That's the only explanation I could come up with.

badass · Jun 12, 2005

I can see why she died - 12 days to get to a rehab facility! Beyond unacceptable, only the government could get away with it. But I know you mean about the arrest. I don't get it either. She was anoxic for 8 minutes in the OR? Why did it take so long?
Sad story.

The fact that she died is besides the point. The CRNA screwed up. She should have attempted to resus the patient. Where were the LD nurses, crash cart, her supervising MDA, if any?

heartICU · Jun 12, 2005

The fact that she died is besides the point. The CRNA screwed up. She should have attempted to resus the patient. Where were the LD nurses, crash cart, her supervising MDA, if any?

You do not know that for certain. Just because she was anoxic for eight minutes does NOT mean that attempts were not made. Be careful pointing fingers when you don't know the whole story.

MissJoRN, RN · Jun 13, 2005

It is a tragedy and my heart goes out to this father and his son. But I wanted to ask about the last paragraph of the story...a newborn was given CO2 instead of O2???

I don't know about old anesthesia machines but my thought was that someone grabbed the wrong tank from a store room for the warmer or isolette? I've seen store rooms keep their green tanks and grey tanks in the same area, sometimes the lighting is bad and they look a little the same, personally I think that's good- foces me to look more closely at the actual label, but I've been in nursing long enough to know some very educated people who can't seem to read labels! It's a shame anytime someone is hurt or worse because of a lack of common sense!