Telemetry/heart attack scenario help

[TweetiePieRN]

I'm an oncology nurse and have a question for any tele nurse who can help here.

The info I'm presenting here is second hand from my mom (she is not in the medical profession). Our grandpa had an MI last Tuesday and was rushed to the hospital where they subsequently placed a stent. He has been in poor health for a long time with diabetes, high cholesterol, morbid obesity, history of numerous blood clots (on coumadin), etc etc.

According to my mother, his heart actually stopped and they had to perform CPR and then the stent was placed. A couple of days later he was transferred out of ICU and to the floor (not sure what dept) without any telemetry monitoring...yet he is still in the hospital and supposedly he is doing well.

I'm wondering...is it normal for a pt who came in with MI and then gets a stent to be off the telemetry monitoring while still hospitalized (remember he was transferred out of ICU within a couple of days of admit)?? Could this be an oversight on their part, or is this the norm and should I tell my mom to stop worrying?

[incublissRN, BSN, RN]

I would expect him to be on telemetry the entire hospitalization due to his diagnosis and risk of stent closure.

[ohmeowzer RN, RN]

yes he would need to be on tele after a stent placement.

[CHATSDALE]

did she ask why he was not on telemetry?

maybe they were full up and he ws the most stable of the partients and it was a judgement call

best wishes on his continuing recovery

[agent66]

I'm an oncology nurse and have a question for any tele nurse who can help here.

The info I'm presenting here is second hand from my mom (she is not in the medical profession). Our grandpa had an MI last Tuesday and was rushed to the hospital where they subsequently placed a stent. He has been in poor health for a long time with diabetes, high cholesterol, morbid obesity, history of numerous blood clots (on coumadin), etc etc.

According to my mother, his heart actually stopped and they had to perform CPR and then the stent was placed. A couple of days later he was transferred out of ICU and to the floor (not sure what dept) without any telemetry monitoring...yet he is still in the hospital and supposedly he is doing well.

I'm wondering...is it normal for a pt who came in with MI and then gets a stent to be off the telemetry monitoring while still hospitalized (remember he was transferred out of ICU within a couple of days of admit)?? Could this be an oversight on their part, or is this the norm and should I tell my mom to stop worrying?

In our facility we would not necessarily have them on monitor 2 days post stent, and depends on what kind of MI he had, the anterior walls are usually monitored longer. BUT..in view of the fact that he was only 2 days post arrest, i would have stuck him on one for at least 24hours and surely clarified with the doc. Did he arrest during the cath procedure or before?? Lots of variables here, was there a monitor available even? As someone else posted he may well have been the most stable person not to be on one. The post arrest thing does concern me though, I would have put him on one, but that is just me.

[herbivorousRN]

I work on a tele unit. At the hospital where I work, a patient such as your grandfather would definitely be monitored.

[EmmaG, RN]

Could it be that your mom isn't seeing the overbed monitor (as in ICU), but that he is on remote tele? Perhaps you can get permission from your grandfather to speak to his nurse(s).

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

I'd leave him on the monitor also, given his circumstances and his hx.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

I second asking about the fact that he is on remote tele. My grandfather was also in the hospital and had a cabg. About a few days later he was transferred to a stepdown unit and they had remote tele. No monitor on the wall but was on a monitor, that was able to be remotely watched by a tech.

He did have a MI then and was rushed back to the ICU.