To revive an old thread....I was reading the how to stop visitors from using an empty bed thread found here
https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/how-stop-visitors-638241.html
and this incident came to mind. Rather than starting a new thread... I revived an old goody.
I had a really crappy near code one time. It was a comedy of errors.
I was floated to a floor, where the powers that be, decided to allow the family members of patient stay in the room. 2 cots, and a blow up air mattress in a small private room. You couldn't get in the room to assess the pt. The charge nurse on that floor didn't care, even though the hospital policy states 1 visitor overnight depending on the nurses discretion, and there 3 people on 2 cots and a mattress.
Well they didn't like it when I turned on the lights to hang the IV abx, because it woke up Aunt Sally sleeping in the corner.I was yelled at for accidentally hitting someone in the leg, then bumping someone else with the VS machine when I went in to do VS on the 70 year old, CHF pt in with exacerbation. I almost stepped on the wife's head, because her air mattress was between the bathroom door and the bed. Later, at 0200 when I was hanging another set of IV abx, I tripped over Uncle Jo sleeping on the cot at the foot of the bed. I was then fired from the room.
At change of shift, the charge nurse was hanging another IV abx, and hits the staff assist button. CHF multifamily had dropped his sats. We call the ERT. SO....then if the room is too tightly crowded for one nurse, how is the ERT going to fit in.
We run in, and pull wife off the blowup mattress, so we can put it in the bathroom, but she's unsteady, so someone has to run and get a chair. Uncle Jo, is yelling at us that if we ruin the mattress we are going to buy a new one. His cot and him went into the hallway, Aunt Sally's cot got folded and pushed against the wall,( not with her on it) SHE went to the foot of the bed rubbing her hands anxiously and refusing to leave.
Apparently, the family refused the Q4 VS,because the previous nurse (yours truly) kept them all up so much, and sleep really is so much more important for all of them. A drop in O2 sats was never noticed, with coming daylight the pt's circumoral cyanosis and grey skin became apparent:rolleyes:. An adjustment in O2, then some bipap, and problem solved, but not completely. CHF multifamily ended up going to the ICU where the ICU staff promptly kicked all the family out, even though the room there are 3 times bigger, could it be all the equipment they need, and not the family?
I reported to the nursing supervisor that I was asked to not be the pt's nurse anymore after 0100, and that I had already given report off to the charge nurse regarding the amount of visitors and cots in the room. I don't know what happened after that.
oops, maybe I posted this in the wrong thread....still a great thread!
