Remove Foley catheter and IV when resident dies?

[Ash0315]

If you have a patient that is on hospice crisis care and they pass, do you remove the Foley and IV before calling mourge??

also so what steps does your facility take after someone dies?

[smf0903]

We remove IVs, caths and any other lines for anyone who passes, whether with hospice or not. We also give a bath and place clean gown and linens. I work in a hospital, I don't know if it's different in other facilities.

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

In my experience, the only time one wouldn't do this is if it's a medical examiner's case.

[AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

As a previous poster eluded too you need to make sure the person is declined by the medical examiner and the family isn't requesting an autopsy BEFORE you remove anything, once the body is declined then remove them per your facilities policy.

Annie

[EllaBella1, BSN]

Exactly. Once the ME signs off we pull everything out.

[FLorida_624]

I agree. I work in LTC and pull out and off everything. But I know if the family is wanting an autopsy, regardless of setting, nothing is removed as it becomes part of the autopsy report.

[HeySis, BSN, RN]

Since hospice patients are under medical care with a diagnosis that is expected to be fatal in 6 months or less, an autopsy will not be performed. (There could be cases where there has been an exception, I have never heard of one, but there could be. If anyone knows of such a case, I'd be super interested in hearing about it.)

So yes, removing devices is part of normal post-mortem care, and we would do this, give bed bath, change linens, redress and make sure the body is in a natural (and flat) position before rigor mortis sets in. We would normally allow family a few minutes before the care, if they are already present. And definitely some time after the care is done before we call the funeral home to come and collect the body.

[smf0903]

Since hospice patients are under medical care with a diagnosis that is expected to be fatal in 6 months or less, an autopsy will not be performed. (There could be cases where there has been an exception, I have never heard of one, but there could be. If anyone knows of such a case, I'd be super interested in hearing about it.)

So yes, removing devices is part of normal post-mortem care, and we would do this, give bed bath, change linens, redress and make sure the body is in a natural (and flat) position before rigor mortis sets in. We would normally allow family a few minutes before the care, if they are already present. And definitely some time after the care is done before we call the funeral home to come and collect the body.

We still have to call the ME if the patient died less than 24 hours after being admitted, even if hospice. But, like you, I've yet to hear of someone having to have an autopsy.

[verene, MSN]

Assuming the deceased isn't going to ME: Remove lines and catheters, wash the body, change linens, and dress in fresh gown (or clothing if family preference), cover the bed with a full size quilt, and light a candle (electric) in the window was our usual routine at the hospice facility I worked for. Families could then stay and visit for as long as they wanted (with in reason).

[kcochrane]

Since hospice patients are under medical care with a diagnosis that is expected to be fatal in 6 months or less, an autopsy will not be performed. (There could be cases where there has been an exception, I have never heard of one, but there could be. If anyone knows of such a case, I'd be super interested in hearing about it.)[/Quote]

The only time this happened to me is when a hospice patient fell and died an hour later from the fall.

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

Since hospice patients are under medical care with a diagnosis that is expected to be fatal in 6 months or less, an autopsy will not be performed. (There could be cases where there has been an exception, I have never heard of one, but there could be. If anyone knows of such a case, I'd be super interested in hearing about it.)

I have had 2 hospice patients who had to have an autopsy: One because the patient had been shot several months prior and another was found unresponsive at home and family chose to have patient admitted to hospice. Both cases there was suspected foul play.

I worked on a palliative care unit, and had a lot of patients who had to cleared by the ME but those were the only two I am aware of that had to have an actual autopsy.

[AbstracRN, BSN, CNA, RN]

I work as a hospice aide and an aide on a med surg floor. For hospice we remove everything except; Mid, central and PICC lines. We have ME cases often, a few have been if the patient fell at a facility, and one patient was believed to have had suffered an injury during surgery. At the hospital we remove everything and send them our morgue naked in the body bag. And it is usually the aides that do this. On another totally unrelated note, Whoot...Whoot... I start nursing school in January at my second choice school.... Still hoping to get accepted at my first choice school as an alternate in October.