Nursing Hx:Share Oldtime Ineffective tx's?

Published

Recently a few of the "old-timers" and I were gabbing about ineffective treatments that used to be the standard of care for pts.

Such as:

MOM, sugar, and heat lamp therapy for Stage III decubs :eek:

(no wonder they didn't heal.....hmmmmmmm)

What ineffective tx did you used to have to give your patients??

Originally posted by Cubby

Anyone ever heard of Icthamol? It was a tar type substance we used on Stage IIIs and worse. No it did not work.

icthamol(drawing salve) does work for boils though...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.

Maybe it's just lack of experience, but I was floored recently when I got a patient in for ETOH detox. His family indicated he had recently had surgery and been detoxed at a small rural hospital where they gave him shots of whiskey instead of Librium. Of course, the brain sees no difference between the two, but I would find it strange to dispense "shots."

I do remember at the little nursing home I worked at years ago that some of the elderly men had orders for a shot of whiskey qhs for sleep.

Edited to add: I guess those aren't technically *ineffective* treatments, just old lol.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I had an MD order beer for an anxious COPD-er....worked like a charm. (homecare)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Insulin and o2 for decubiti, first arrange the patient so that the ulcer is kind of horizontal, then apply a few dropsof Insulin. Chase the drops around on top of the ulcer with the O2 till it dries! I can't believe I did that!

There was another "cure" involving egg white. Also a caustic agent called Eusol. You had to protect the surrounding skin with a paraffin jelly/net dressing to avoid burning the "good" skin!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Trauma acute surgery, surgical ICU, PACU.

I have used Eusol recently....

Some of these make me wonder how nurses got any of the rest of their work done... they are not only clinically useless (or harmful) but time consuming as well!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Once when I worked agency in the UK, I had to...

Put egg white on an ulcerated member and direct 02 on to it ALL NIGHT.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

mmm..yummy...member meringue pie...

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hehehe...

Actually Sunnygirl, it was the boredom that really got me...11 yr night shift, hired to do that and only that.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

anyone remember rotating tourniquets for CHF. What a pain they were.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CCU, Geriatrics, Critical Care, Tele.

Just posting to state that I am moving this to The General Nursing forum from the off-topic :) Thanks

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LDRP; Education.
Originally posted by SmilingBluEyes

Those STUPID "donuts" postpartum patients used to sit on for sore episotomies.. ( I was issued one and I swear, it slowed healing time for me)......not only INEFFECTIVE but made matters WORSE in several cases!!!!

We still use those.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in cardiac ICU.

I was complaining to my mother about the dumb things we had to do in clinical and she told me that when she was in nursing school (St. Mary's class of 1958) they had taught her to make a flaxseed poultice. I asked if they actually used those and she snorted and said, "Of course not! Nobody had used those for years!" Dumb nursing education...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion