longest surgery?

lily_lover · Apr 7, 2007

I work the night shift, so there's no one to relieve me from 11p-7a. We had a fem pop that lasted the entire time. I felt really bad for the patient, he had had bilateral knees done earlier that day, and then ended up with a cold leg. We knew going into the case it would be a long one, just didn't think it would last all night.

Crux1024 · Apr 8, 2007

Later that month, two docs spent 6 hours trying to get a central line in him (lots of scar tissue from previous PermaCaths). They let me stay in the room, masked, and watch the whole time, while the Dr. Vascular talked Dr. Resident through each attempt! That was the night I knew for sure I wanted to scrub. I'm starting ST program in the fall!

Good for you! I have been a CST for 5 years (am on my way to Nursing school though) You should check out http://www.ast.org , they have lots of info and their own CST forums....good place for ST students.

:monkeydance:

losangeles213 · Oct 14, 2009

you people are insane ..... i have a 16 hour surgery (on myself) coming up on the 26 an rplnd , and im scared like hell... now im even more scared if the doc has to go peee..... thanks !

divanhixrn · Oct 14, 2009

losangeles213, it's normal to be scared about the surgery but don't worry yourself about the surgeon having to use the bathroom as well. Everyone involved in the case will be thinking of your safety and health. If you're anxious because you're unsure about something, make sure to ask questions to the nurse, anesthesiologist, surgeon, or anyone else. I hope you have a quick and safe recovery after your surgery!

MrNurseOR · Oct 15, 2009

14 Hour open radical nephrectomy. This patient threw a clot to the heart half way through and CT had to be called and the chest cracked.

XingtheBBB, BSN, RN · Oct 15, 2009

you people are insane ..... i have a 16 hour surgery (on myself) coming up on the 26 an rplnd , and im scared like hell... now im even more scared if the doc has to go peee..... thanks !

Some of the things mentioned with not having relief or the surgeon being unable to leave (where the pt might be at risk if the dr left for a break) is pretty extreme, emergency, off-hours stuff. I've seen surgeries scheduled for 20+ hrs (I used to work with a reconstructive plastic surgeon when I was in the OR) but there were breaks all around. On a planned surgery, like you're having, things don't get our of hand like an emergency case where the patient is already near death. That means, at a more relaxed pace, there are times when the surgeon can take a break between one part of a procedure and the next. Rarely would a surgeon work alone for a long case, anyway. For a long case there is nearly always at least one resident, PA, or RN first assist involved, if not another full-fledged surgeon. That's someone who will keep things going while the surgeon steps out for a quick snack or trip to the bathroom... not like the surgeon gets to sit down in the breakroom or anything, but a quick break is OK. Likewise, when a case is scheduled for 16 hours, much of it will be occuring while there is available staff to relieve the scrub and circulator. Almost certainly, there will be at least one shift change. In my OR you rarely work in the same room for 8-12 hours, let alone the same case. Sometimes, if we have a 2 RN team, one will circ while one scrubs, then they might switch after lunch... keeps the same people in the room with the patient and Dr they know but keeps them fresh, too. Anesthesia- the one person who legally cannot leave the room at any time- is pretty good about breaks too. In our OR, even at night, they could get relief if a case was long, there were always a few people on call and available- someone had to be in the hospital and not in a case at all times. With a surgery like yours, the OR has given thought to stffing ahead of time! Good luck!

kids · Oct 15, 2009

Multi-level spinal fusion revision and extension.

15 hours from roll in to roll out.

I was the patient.

I don't know how y'all do it, scrubbing in for even quick uncomplicated surgeries drove me nuts.

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Oct 15, 2009

15 hour Fem-Pop..I was there for 12 hours of the case. :eek:

SandraCVRN · Oct 16, 2009

15 hour Fem-Pop..I was there for 12 hours of the case.

OMG, we get cranky if our fem-pops last 3 or 4 hours....

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Oct 16, 2009

OMG, we get cranky if our fem-pops last 3 or 4 hours....

This was an old lady and the doctor was bound and determined that she wasn't going to lose her leg. At one point, we pulled down all the drapes, reprepped, and went to the other leg. I lost count of how many times we used that doppler to find a pulse. Finally, we got one(not the greatest) and called it a day. But sadly, she ended up losing the leg later. Which was horrible-all that work, and the poor thing ended up an amputee. :crying2:

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Oct 16, 2009

One time I took pity on a surgeon who'd been scrubbed over ten hours and still had a long way to go. I took him in the substerile and held a urinal for him.

Holy crap! That is dedication for sure. :eek:

SandraCVRN · Oct 17, 2009

This was an old lady and the doctor was bound and determined that she wasn't going to lose her leg. At one point, we pulled down all the drapes, reprepped, and went to the other leg. I lost count of how many times we used that doppler to find a pulse. Finally, we got one(not the greatest) and called it a day. But sadly, she ended up losing the leg later. Which was horrible-all that work, and the poor thing ended up an amputee.

Ahhhh, the already dead fem-pop. We had something like that last week, a fem thrombectomy...2 hours later a fasciotomy, then the surgeon says, I guess we should have done that first. Dead muscle....

PS we always prep both legs for fem-pops, fem-thrombectomies, etc for just in case.....