9Bennett6

I'm posting this here because most of our pt's get transferred to MICU, and I'm hoping to get some answers. I work on a teley, heme/onc floor; usually last stop before transfer. I work at a major teaching hospital. Let me preface by saying, for some reason we only have 1 unit in the entire hospital that is step-down - almost impossible to get into. 2nd - policy dictates that pt's may not be on a non-rebreather or high flow on the floor. MICU refuses to take the majority of our pt's until intubation. I can't transfer, I have no place to send them, and the docs just state that 15L non-rebreather is OK. I'm calling RRT's; not because I'm that concerned that they are unstable immediately, but because no one else is. Their ABG's are ****, but ICU won't take the pt. I have pt's on non-rebreather for days if no one pushes. I'm not talking DNR's but full codes. If someone's sats are 88 on 15L plus, I'm tired of hearing this is their baseline. I've been told by respiratory that this is bad for their lungs, but... does anyone have research? In the last 2 weeks, I have had one pt waiting for ICU for 10 hours emergently intubated on the floor w/out sedation, finally got to transfer one today to step down after an RRT and refusing to keep the pt - 3 others left on their units on 16+ non-rebreather with O2 at 88 - 89%. Some, no one has been able to get an ABG on, so we are sending venous.