The intubated, tube-fed "scootcher"

[Zee_RN, BSN, RN]

There's no real point to this post except to vent a small frustration.

You all know the patient. He's intubated. He's getting tube feedings. Your facility is, of course, concerned with Ventilator-Acquired Pneumonia. So you elevate the head of his bed...and he scootches to the bottom. You pull him up and tell him he needs to sit up to keep the Pulmocare out of his lungs. And he scootches back down. *sigh* Repeat pattern ad-nauseum, consistently pulling in co-workers to help pull him up. Naturally, he's in MRSA isolation, too.

Just took care of this guy for 12 hours yesterday. Will probably get him for 11-7 tonight too. He hates mouth care too, lol. All in a day's work, eh?!

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Just raise the knee part of the bed and put pillows under his legs.........that'll stop the 'scooching' quickly enough.:)

[Zee_RN, BSN, RN]

Nope, not this guy...he pulls his knees right up to his chest and slides on down. He's very agile. That knee-gatching stuff has never really worked for me. They just slump down in the valley.

[RoxanRN]

Try gatching the knees and then putting the bed (as is with head up and knees gatched) in trendelenburg. Looks very similar to sitting in a recliner. Usually works for us.

[suzanne4, RN]

Have had excellent results with what the above poster has suggested. The other thing is that depending on the type of bed that you are using, soem can actually be shortened, so that he cannot scoot to the bottom, but yet, he thinks that he has because he can stretch his feet and touch the footboard.

The tricks that we come up with................. But as long as they work.:)