Newborn in coma after accidently administered CO2 instead of O2...

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

Can someone tell me the rationale behind why they would have CO2 available for use?

http://khon.com/khon/display.cfm?storyID=3817&sid=1152

Healthy newborn gassed into coma at Tripler

Ken Wilson

A healthy baby was given the wrong gas at birth, and now the 6-1/2 week old boy lies comatose in Tripler Hospital. It's meant heartbreak for a family of five awaiting a new member. Dad is in the Army and was home from Afghanistan for the birth.

Dwight and Shalay Peterson wanted a fourth child. After seven years of trying and more than one in-vitro procedure, she became pregnant.

Baby Izzy was born healthy at Tripler Hospital on Jan. 14, but one minute into his life, a nurse placed a mask over the baby's face to administer oxygen. At least it was supposed to be oxygen. It turned out to be carbon dioxide.

"I watched him deteriorate from the screaming and crying to a little less screaming," Dwight said. "The second time she pulled it off, and then she put it back on, and then I watched him deteriorate until it was done, until he was finished. There was no more movement. There was no crying. There was nothing."

Forty-two minutes went by before it was realized that a mistake was being made. The petersons say tripler officials have apologized and said the mistake won't happen again.

"I wouldn't want anybody else to go through what we went through," Shalay said. "But it's too late for my baby."

Izzy needs help to breath and will need 24-hour nursing care his entire life.

The Petersons have hired a lawyer and a claim has been made with the federal government.

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....and they will win ! How awful! :o

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I cannot for the LIFE of me imagine why or how C02 made it into the nursery. That is simply BIZARRE. I mean, aren't canisters MARKED SOME HOW????? I just don't get it.

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Maybe the delivery was in the OR? Is it normal to have it there?

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

perhaps, but NO canisters are near any of our warmers EXCEPT O2! This is still just so weird to me.

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....and they will win ! How awful! :o

Let's hope so.

Not exactly a frivolous lawsuit.

A CO2 tank by a radiant warmer in a DR?

My prayers are with this baby and his family.

Tripler Hospital has a nightmare on their hands.

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Specializes in NICU.

Could they have been having a study of some sort going on and perhaps someone mistook the study gas for O2?

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This makes no sense to me at all either. And I'm the delivery nurse in the OR during cesareans and we only have O2 at the warmer.

My heart just breaks . . . and thinking about the nurse who kept putting the mask on the baby .. . . :o

What was the 1 min Apgar? Why the need for O2 for a crying baby? Especially a mask placed firmly on the baby's face and not just blow-by?

I have lots of questions . . . .it just doesn't make sense.

steph

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It doesn't makea lot of sense to me either. The only gases we have anywhere near our warmers is oxygen...the only exception might be in the ER, where we have medical air, but... My heart just breaks for the family and the nurse that kept putting the mask on. I do wonder why something besides just putting oxygen on wasn't done when the baby didn't improve... What a tragedy! :(

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Yes, another good point steph!!!! Why oxygenate a screaming baby????? I would also want to know the 1 minute apgar. Seems to me we dont' have the whole story here. But then when do we? I hope NSO summarizes this one when it settles one day. I am very curious about a lot of things here.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

I'm no OB nurse, but I've never seen CO2 used in any hospital situation. Could someone enlighten me as to its clinical use for patients?

On a more personal note: What a horrible tragedy. I cannot imagine what this family could be going through--and will continue to go through for the rest of the child's life. :crying2:

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there was a case a while back where the company filled the O2 tank with CO2. the hospital was found not liable for the death because it is reasonable to assume that your medical supply company put O2 in a cannister labled 02...really sad mistake. :o

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