Nurse performs tracheotomy

I am not so sure they would have been protected since I think the litmus test is that the person performed as any other PRUDENT person with the same training would have under the similar circumstances. Not sure any other nurse would have done a trach on their own. If they had had 911 patch them through to an ER and done the procedure under the guidance of an MD then maybe?

Yeah..they obviously arent protected since they fled the scene, but the questions was would they have been protected IF THEY STAYED?

Sounds like material for a cheesy medical drama. I would be rather suspect of your friends story. As for a tracheostomy? If a surgical airway is required, a tracheostomy is not the typically performed. You would typically look at puncturing the cricothyroid membrane in a procedure known as a cricothyrotomy. Then, comes the question of how these nurses actually performed the procedure and what exactly did they place to keep the puncture site patent. Anybody see logistical issues with this story?

Perhaps a good story to spark debate. Nurses who actually know how to perform this procedure should be reluctant to resort to a surgical option in the clinical setting let alone on the side of the road. The morbidity and mortality for going down this path can be quite high. Just look at what is happening to the two flight nurses in California who attempted such a procedure while on shift. A poor outcome resulted, and these nurses are facing the loss of their licenses, prison time, and a probable civil suit.

Any nurse in their right mind would not do such a thing off shift.

The Good Samaritan laws state that anyone assisting in an emergency must stay within their scope of practice.

It does not sound like these nurses would be protected in this case. There is good reason for this. The Good Samaritan laws protect those who stop to help, but they do not give them a license to open their own surgical practice.

I'm going with Gila on the validity issue. Me thinks this is an URBAN legen - heck, it might even be a rural one.

As for the "surgical" airway option - I know that my eyes bleed deciding when looking at such an event in actual, compensated and required employment situation.

I can think of NO, NONE, NADA, HU-UH, etc - situation where as being an OFF DUTY BYSTANDER would I perform such an action. I will generally not even stop at accidents unless extraordinary circumstances are present. I will be certain and call for help though - :)

Folks, flame away - but, I do care about "humanity" and my fellow man and all that - but, I cannot bet my house and future on even if things go great that someone that I assist may not find their way into a lawyers office. A lawsuit does not have to have merit, hit a jury or anything even close to COST the DEFENDANT many many dollars. And for all the fantasy dwellers that plan to use the "I did my best and didn't do anything wrong" defense to a lawsuit - let me know in what court that they just dismiss you as a defendant on your "I'm not at fault" defense alone. I'm certain that any lawyer you wil get (innocent or not) will wants lots of moola. In reality any DEFENDANT will have years and many dollars into a dismissal - for a bonus, you may suffer a reputation hit as well. It is just not for me. Think I suck or whatever - I have been places few dare to go - so, my NO is well-thoughtout.

I am reasonable and even the best plans change - so, no one knows (even me) what they will do until tested - but, I am confident that TRACH would not ever be done by me OFF-DUTY.

Practice SAFE!

Forgot to add on GOOD SAMARIATIAN Law issue.

Argue all you want - this as a sole defense will still cost you plenty. Most GSL are NOT constutional in their limitations of rights. Sure, there may NEVER have been a SUCCESSFUL suit against a "GOOD SAMARIATIAN", but the same GS may have had to spend many tens of thousands of dollars making sure they were "covered".

Tread carefully folks - we live in a world that the "original Good Sam" did not - not too many 1-800-WHO CAN I SUE in biblical times.

Knowledge is POWER.

Not trying to change anyone's mind or keep you from acting in any situation - JUST making sure that you stop and think - tough any way you look at it.

Hey OP - big question here?

Any explanation on where they "got their stuff" to do it or what they used? Pocketknives and ink pens are popular in the movies, but hard for most nurses to Macgyver that one through in a "real life" field TRACH.

Fishy tale to me.

Must have watched the episode of Grey's Anatomy where the guy makes a trach out of a ball point pen... :)

hello,

my buddy is an emt and told me a story about a couple of nurses stopping at an emergency scene before an ambulance arrived. the injured person was going to die, but the 2 nurses performed a tracheotomy

i saw this on the "mercy" preview to air on nbc this fall. maybe he did too??? if it is a true story, it is possible that they stepped out of their scope of practice and fled for fear of being caught.

This story sounds fishy to me. I can't imagine a nurse leaving the scene. Some nurses have taken advanced trauma courses where they have learned advanced airway skills, but performing a surgical procedure such as a trach was not one of them. This does not make sense. I would question the actions of anyone leaving the scene. I have stopped to render aid many times and have left the scene only after EMS arrived and I was able to provide full report to EMS personnel including my name and phone number in case they needed to reach me.

Also, the Good Samaritan law does not protect you if you go outside your scope of practice and it may not protect you at all if someone has a good lawyer. That is the reason that a lot of health care providers do not stop to render aid, because they are held to a different standard than the general public.