ouch! need help!

[daisy62]

i need ideas ! where i am currently working we have one patient who will bite the staff and will not let go. does anyone know a safe harmless way to get this patient to release the bite . any help would really be appreciated!!!!

[jessiern, BSN, RN]

I always heard biting back would help a child learn not to do so, but may not be the best solution for ya'll :roll

I'm not sure what to say about "letting go", but it really sounds like staff just needs to be very careful when around this patient. Very conscience of your body placement, keep as much distance as possible. I've had patients that would pull hair if we leaned down too far, so we all just tried to keep our hair out of her reach.

Maybe someone will be able to provide better advice then me. Good Luck.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

kickboxing wraps in colors to match your scrubs might provide some nice protection?

[nightmare, RN]

Wrap a towel around arm,then when he bites teeth will not penetrate and you can slip the towel.Either that or hide teeth(if they are false!) I've had biters before and it is really just a case of being hypervigilant with very quick reflexes! I take it this is not someone you can reason with or lecture on the wrongs of biting.Bargaining such as 'if you bite we will not attend to you' will only work on those cognitive enough to see the reasoning.

[EmmaG, RN]

When someone bites you, your reflex is to pull away... doing so will cause further injury. Instead, push in toward the bite. Then they let go

[kentuckychick]

When someone bites you, your reflex is to pull away... doing so will cause further injury. Instead, push in toward the bite. Then they let go

Very good advice. Have used this technique before, and it does work!

[dekatn]

Using the knuckle of your finger to apply pressure to the area just below the nose and above the upper lip will work.

[michigooseBSN]

Could you gently pinch his nose? This works with kids to make them open their mouth under similar circumstances. I know you can probably still breath with the teeth clenched in a bite but the usual reaction is to open the mouth.

[miko014]

For dogs you can spray something that tastes bad on whatever they chew, and that usually works well! You could try spraying something that tastes bad on your arms, haha! Seriously, the pushing toward the bite thing usually works. Good luck!

[Agnus]

press the cheek just behind the last molar, in the notch between the mandible and the maxillary bone. Direct your pressure downward on the mandibular bone. Press with one finger. This is a very sensitive area and the discomfort literally forces the jaw to open. Try it on yourself to find the spot. Causes no injury or mark and hurts like h@!! They can not help but release.