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I would take a set of vitals, and if the patient indeed expired, notify the charge nurse, the patients physician, the hospital supervisor as well as the patients family. The organ donation facility would have to be notified to see if the patient is a candidate for organ donation .The body would have to be cleansed tagged and wrapped, atleast at my facility.
You didn't provide much details, just the fact that the patient expired and she was a full code.
Feel for a pulse (carotid)
Call the code--however that is done in your facility; we push a button which is connected to the operator; Call for help from co-workers to get code cart, initiate rescue breathing & cpr;
We must call the code for all pt's unless there is a LET order (DNR).
In our facility, as 1 person is doing the compressions, we are placing the pads (quick-combo pads). The code team is usually there before the machine begins the analysis; however, if the code team for some reason is delayed, if the machine instructs defibrillation, it is done.
However, I have never seen them this delayed.
Our code team then takes over & we are runners & recorders.
I work in a large, big city, teaching hospital.
Actually, this happened to me just last week. The code that followed was one of our better codes, even tho the pt. didn't make it.
In fact, we only ran the code for the minimum amout of time---10 min. because it was pretty obvious this man was not going to come back.
You have to start a full code and continue until paramedics arrive and take over. I have been in this situation.The patient was dead as a doornail but we had to keep going with CPR. Of course we were not very enthusiastic with the chest compressions until the medics arrived-if you know what I mean.
Ms.RN
917 Posts
what would you do if you go into patients room and find out that patient have expired and patient is a full code?