No such thing as minor surgery!!!

Specialties Operating Room

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Our community is mourning the loss of a 16 yo female who was on one of our 3 high school volleyball teams. I do know it was an appendectomy and she died of internal bleeding. such a tragedy and my grandson told me she was taken back into surgery and died on the operating table. so, there is no such thing as minor surgery, all have risks and you never know when something can go tragically wrong. The girl is my niece's best friend's sister. So, even though we call hernia repair and appys minor, this makes me rethink things. And if you go in the middle of the night, you are at the mercy of the surgeon who is on call. Not much choice unless you are lucky and know of a good surgeon and maybe have some connections!!! This is just to sad to even think about!!!! You just need to approach every shift with your guard up and ready for anything because it will happen eventually,right?? Restin Peace Sweet Child!!!:scrying:

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Specializes in Operating Room.

That's horrible.:( But, you're right. No surgery is minor. So I always try to have that in the back of my mind that anything can happen.

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You are so right. Anyone who works in the OR learns this lesson sooner or later. For me, it was a few months into my OR career. I was working in the "major" OR, as we called it, where we did the big cases. It was a Level 1 trauma center, and the only one in the area, so we got the worst of the worst. Even so, no one had died in the OR since I had been there. Then, it finally came. A death in the OR. Only it wasn't in the "big" OR - it was over in Minor. And it wasn't a really sick patient - it was a healthy 6 year old who was there for a tonsillectomy.

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Specializes in Operating Room Nursing.

You do get pretty complacent in elective surgery because it's not often you'll see something bad happen. A few weeks ago we lost a patient who was having a routine lap chole and had a massive anaphylatic reaction to the anaesthetic and died on the table.

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I do know it was an appendectomy and she died of internal bleeding. such a tragedy and my grandson told me she was taken back into surgery and died on the operating table. so, there is no such thing as minor surgery, all have risks and you never know when something can go tragically wrong.

If someone goes in for an appendectomy and dies from internal bleeding, that sounds like an extraordinarily incompetent surgeon.

A few weeks ago we lost a patient who was having a routine lap chole and had a massive anaphylatic reaction to the anaesthetic and died on the table.

Patients don't die from an anaphylactic reaction to anesthesia. Anesthetic agents can trigger malignant hyperthermia which can lead to death, but that is not an anaphylactic reaction.

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Specializes in Operating Room Nursing.
Patients don't die from an anaphylactic reaction to anesthesia. Anesthetic agents can trigger malignant hyperthermia which can lead to death, but that is not an anaphylactic reaction.

No this patient did not die from malignant hyperthermia. As I said she died from anaephylaxis from the anaesthetic. It's a very rare occurance but it does happen:

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=bssITJLboPMC&pg=PA178&lpg=PA178&dq=anaphylatic+reaction+to+anaesthetic&source=web&ots=tlvRfeqsym&sig=TIvuijZ7QxWGoWzyZKobaCvd-Rk&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=41&ct=result

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No this patient did not die from malignant hyperthermia. As I said she died from anaephylaxis from the anaesthetic. It's a very rare occurance but it does happen:

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=bssITJLboPMC&pg=PA178&lpg=PA178&dq=anaphylatic+reaction+to+anaesthetic&source=web&ots=tlvRfeqsym&sig=TIvuijZ7QxWGoWzyZKobaCvd-Rk&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=41&ct=result

She might have died from anaphylaxis DURING an anesthetic, but not FROM the anesthetic.

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She might have died from anaphylaxis DURING an anesthetic, but not FROM the anesthetic.

OK, can you tell us more? I just read that chapter posted and looks like culprits during anesthesia include sedatives (I would have guessed that diprivan would cause more reactions than tiopental, hm) NMBAs, and locals. Not mentioned was antibiotics... certainly that can be an issue. I've seen a few rashes pop up mid-prep but never anaphylaxis (wheww) So by omission, and your hinting, inhalation agents are not associated with anaphylaxis? Do they not cause an IgE reaction? Why not?

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