Mice on unit

[sistrmoon]

Anyone else have mice on your unit? What was done?

This past weekend, 2 mice were spotted at work again. One wriggling, its worm-like tail protruding, into the heating vent in the break room. This is not a new thing for the break room. After all, we had to replace our fridge due to a dead rat in the coils. But another was spotted in a patient care area, in the area where the most immunocompromised patients stay. It ran across the hallway. Were a family member to see that, can you imagine our customer satisfaction scores? Maybe they'd shut the unit down for a real poisoning. The Orkin man was paged by maintenance, but never responded. Bleh.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Our hospital is very clean. I have literally only seen one fly in the unit in 2.5 years. However we had a patient who was getting leech therapy, and one of them escaped. It was found by following the bloody trail down the hallway. I can't imagine what any visitors thought if they had encountered that leech before we found it-- probably wondering what kind of hospital we were running and what was going on in the rooms next to theirs!

Cleanliness isn't an issue usually. Where there is food there will be the occasional cockroach. when it gets cold they come inside. Door open and close constantly they get in.

[Christy1019, ASN, RN]

Oh, and we have bedbug dogs. Almost forgot about them because I work night shift and never see them. Whenever we get a patient with bedbugs, after they leave the room is cleaned with a special protocol. To make sure it's clean they bring in a dog that sniffs bedbugs and will signal if it detects them in the room. Then the room is cleaned again and again until the dog is happy that the room is clean.

We actually have them too but they rarely get used due to being super expensive (go figure).

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

Ewwww....maggots!!!! When I did a very brief stint in home care I came across More maggots on wounds and in the end of stumps than I care to think about!!!! I can handle anything but maggots!!! Our trauma ICU sees their fair share in the summer after getting traumas that are picked up and flown in...yuckkl

[anon456, BSN, RN]

Cleanliness isn't an issue usually. Where there is food there will be the occasional cockroach. when it gets cold they come inside. Door open and close constantly they get in.

You are right and I stand corrected. It probably has to do with the climate and location of the building. I work on an upper floor and probably most of the critters are on the lower floors. And lone the fly that made it all the way up probably caught a ride in the elevator.

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

I have been a nurse too long.

Years ago....while working with a new nurse in ICU we had a burn patient with severs inhalation burns. One day the new nurse came out of the room and said a fly was in the patients mouth and she couldn't get it and it ran to the back of the patients throat. I told her we would call the MD and let him know and fill out an occurrence report.

I was praying that the fly flew away. Well he didn't. Three days later this new nurse was caring for the patient who was scheduled for a trache the next day...we couldn't wean her lungs were so bad...when I heard the new nurse scream and come running out of the room... I rushed over to her to keep her from announcing loudly what she found. She had a habit of being very honest. Bless her heart...but not always tactful. She was a good nurse though.

We went into the room and found maggots coming out of her ETT tube and mouth. We called the MD and he said cancel the trache "she's going to get better now". "No big deal" he said "they will eat the dead tissue, die, and be absorbed as protein" he said "this is the best thing that could have happened" he said....REALLY?????

Well.....The next day her gasses were dramatically improved....she was finally oxygenating! The maggots ate the dead burned tissue and debrieded her lungs...she survived and went home.

I'm not sure the MD ever told the family.

Wow! I am astounded! What a story!