Strangest thing taken from ER

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Specializes in ER, education, mgmt.

I thought this would be a fun thread...

What is the strangest thing you have ever seen stolen from the ED??

for me- a buttload of those KY packets with some hemocult developer. Rectal exam, anyone??

And we had to stop keeping ambu bags at the head of every bed. they were being stolen for "huffing". go figure.

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Specializes in OB, House Sup, ER, Med Surg.

We had a pt steal the clock off the wall.

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this is not from the ER, but i work in OB and i have had a pt take the hospital breast pump home (the kind that is on a tall rolling poll), and also someone took the mattress out of a newborn crib. Also a few clock takers i think. Oh yeah, and several people have taken their sheets home.

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Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.

Oh, denitely strange. We had lady partsl speculums stolen from our OB room in the ER. And K Y. Not just 1 or 2 speculums, but seemed like they had taken enough to run a clinic at home.

And the worst of it all, I think, was the patients we had seen in that particular room that am were men. Can you say "GROSS!!!" I hate to even think about what he was using them for?!

Anne

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Specializes in tele, oncology.

Not from ED...but we did have a family try to steal an EKG machine not that long ago. Security caught them trying to fit it in their trunk.

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Specializes in PICU/NICU.

Ok, not in the ER, but right outside of the cafeteria at my old hospital- two guys came in with furniture dollies and rolled the 2 vending machines right out the door and loaded them in their truck..... they were not form the vending company!! THEY STOLE them in broad daylight and it was not until the end of the day that who ever was in charge of these things realized what had happened.

I guess you have to give credit for guts!!

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Specializes in SICU, CCU, MCU, peds, physician's office.

I work in a catholic hospital and there is a crucifix in every room. There is at least one stolen every day!

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We had a patient steal the tele box he had been wearing. He was a strange one.

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Specializes in Public Health, TB.

We used to have a set of 3 large mirrors, one with a clock on it in the lobby. These were like 4 feet by 7 feet. The just disappeared one day. Those suckers must have been heavy!

Also on the floor we used to lose a lot of thermometers...

Hmmm, now I think I know why I can never find a manual BP cuff when I need one!

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Specializes in Tele, Home Health, MICU, CTICU, LTC.

We had a patient steal the hoyer lift pad. What are you going to do with a hoyer lift pad at home and no hoyer lift?

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Specializes in Tele, Home Health, MICU, CTICU, LTC.
Ok, not in the ER, but right outside of the cafeteria at my old hospital- two guys came in with furniture dollies and rolled the 2 vending machines right out the door and loaded them in their truck..... they were not form the vending company!! THEY STOLE them in broad daylight and it was not until the end of the day that who ever was in charge of these things realized what had happened.

I guess you have to give credit for guts!!

That's pretty brazen to steal them in broad daylight. Obviously their technique worked well for them.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

People steal the phones from their rooms. You know, just the cheapie hospital phones. I can't imagine using that at home!

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