Nurses pulling CTs?

heartICU · Sep 10, 2005

I work on a cardiac surgery step-down floor in Virginia. Recently, visiting my grandfather in North Carolina, his nurse asked me to step out while she pulled my grandfather's tubes. (I think I made her uncomfortable) I was surprised. I mean really, it is nothing to pull a mediastinal tube, but what about everyone else out there..what is your institutions practice? Where I work the cardiac surgery PAs pull the CTs and the epicardial wires.
Also, those of you who do pull tubes, what about pleural tubes? Thanks for your input!!

I worked in a CTICU and we pulled chest tubes all the time. Pleural and mediastinal tubes. No big deal. Also pulled JPs on occasion. We didn't pull the pacing wires though - the clinicians did that on the floor.

JentheRN05, RN · Sep 10, 2005

While I was in nursing school I pulled a pleural tube, in fact the doctor (who of course was present at the time) insisted that 'I' do it. So much so he had me tracked down. It was cool, but I haven't pulled one since. I have pulled a PICC line, which of course isn't a big deal, but it was my first.

jmgrn65, RN · Sep 10, 2005

I work on cardio-thoracic step down we pull chest tubes, plueral tubes, epicardial pacing wires and central lines. We have been doing this for many years at least 14, that's how long i have been there. I usually will ask family to leave, I don't need someone telling me how I do my job, and they do, or getting splattered with blood as that does sometimes happen or fainting. :)

RN12345656 · Sep 10, 2005

I work on cardio-thoracic step down we pull chest tubes, plueral tubes, epicardial pacing wires and central lines. We have been doing this for many years at least 14, that's how long i have been there. I usually will ask family to leave, I don't need someone telling me how I do my job, and they do, or getting splattered with blood as that does sometimes happen or fainting. :)

I wasn't there to tell her how to do her job..I was there to comfort my grandfather and to hold his hand.

That's great you get to D/C tubes and wires. I am sure if we pulled tubes and wires at Sentara Heart, our PAs wouldn't be as busy :)

Just curious...how many open heart cases does your hospital do in a year? How many surgeons and PAs do you have? Thanks :)

zambezi, BSN, RN · Sep 10, 2005

I too work in a CICU and we pull mediastinal CTs...

The PA or doc pulls the plural...

Our step-down nurses pull the pacing wires...

jmgrn65, RN · Sep 11, 2005

I wasn't there to tell her how to do her job..I was there to comfort my grandfather and to hold his hand.
That's great you get to D/C tubes and wires. I am sure if we pulled tubes and wires at Sentara Heart, our PAs wouldn't be as busy :)
Just curious...how many open heart cases does your hospital do in a year? How many surgeons and PAs do you have? Thanks :)

I really don't know how many we do in a year, we probably do 2-5 a day,we have 8 or so surgeons, PA's about the same.

HappyNurse2005, RN · Sep 11, 2005

I am also a cardiac surgery step down nurse in virginia, same as you heartnurseinva, but not at sentara. im in a big cardiac surgery hospital in southwestern va. Our cardiac surgery stepdown nurses don't pull CT's, blakes, wires, etc. the surgical PA's do, or the doc's occasionally. I don't think hte ICU nurses do, either, b/c the pt's come from ICU w/ the lines in place.

Just curious...how many open heart cases does your hospital do in a year? How many surgeons and PAs do you have? Thanks

according to my hospitals website, there are more than 1000 open heart cases a year. equals to about 19 per week, which is about 4 per (week)day. Sounds right. We also do the DaVinci robotic cardiac surgeries here, too. FOr pacemaker insertion, i believe.

7 cardiac surgeons, 2 -4 cardiac surgery PA's

JAHJF · Sep 12, 2005

Where I work the MDs have RN's that round with/for, write orders for, etc. and they or the doc pull all tubes/wires.

heartICU · Sep 13, 2005

Just curious...how many open heart cases does your hospital do in a year? How many surgeons and PAs do you have? Thanks :)

We have twelve cardiac surgeons, and probably twice that many PAs, and do anywhere from 15-25 hearts a day, depending on the season, day of the week, etc. According to the stats the heart center puts out, we did 3,651 open heart procedures last year. (I'm at the busiest cardiac program in the country, at least that is what our dept chair says).

RN12345656 · Sep 18, 2005

We have twelve cardiac surgeons, and probably twice that many PAs, and do anywhere from 15-25 hearts a day, depending on the season, day of the week, etc. According to the stats the heart center puts out, we did 3,651 open heart procedures last year. (I'm at the busiest cardiac program in the country, at least that is what our dept chair says).

Wow, you have HUGE service!! Where hospital are you in? Cleveland Clinic?

We have 10 surgeons and 8 P.A.s. and 4 NPs. What do your PAs do? Sounds like your nurses do alot of our PAs responsibilities. Our PAs are second assist to the surgeon in the OR ~~open/close & harvest the grafts in the OR + round all day and constantly put out fires. I don't know what I would do without them.

When I was in North Carolina, there was only 1 PA to the group and she wore street clothes and a white coat...boy, she must have it easy!!!

Also while I was in NC, they were using Presidex?...we use Diprivan...what about your facility?

sarahRN482 · Sep 23, 2005

I work on a surgical cardiac step down unit in central IL and we (staff nurses) don't pull out chest tubes or pacing wires. Usually the Doc's nurses pull out the CT's, Doc's pull out the pacing wires (as they should!). As far as JP's, we do those..but luckily most of our patients come out of the Cardiac ICU with almost everything out, except CT's. Now there are those occassions where the pt's decide to pull the wires/tubes/drains out themselves...that's always fun! :coollook: