Tell me about your first codes

GAgirl · Nov 3, 2004

You know, I can't remember my first code. How sad. Codes seem like pure chaos most of the time. I remember my first DNI pt that we had to code. It was so sad....met breast ca. We did chest compressions for a little while, but of course she died anyway as she was in resp distress. I remember her o2 sats were in the 50's for a couple hours before a code was called. But with a DNI, what can you do?

lifeisbeautiful · Nov 3, 2004

My first code was a nightmare and great learning experience rolled into one, but thank goodness the patient survived. Talk about a sheer rush of adrenaline! There was a lot of panic, but minimal yelling amongst the staff. I work in the Recovery Room (PACU) and we are PALS and ACLS certified. The Operating Room Nurses and Techs are not. This means, when there is a code, we have to drop what we are doing, glove and gown and go to the OR to assist. Basically, I am working with the Anesthesiologist and the Surgeon to keep this patient alive. I help administer drugs and am also responsible for the code documentation after the code is over. Everyone else in the OR is just standing there, rubber-necking. After a code, I have counted over ....15 people in the room doing absolutely nothing. I personally feel that people not assisting in a code should not be allowed in the room.

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Nov 3, 2004

My first code was actually a DOS...so the other...oh that was hillarious!

Hospital..LOL, okay so we had a very large set of interns! Well...the patient all the sudden flat lined..witnessed hello!!!!! Do a precar thump stupids, but no...they all the sudden started doing tests that were pointless (this was asystole three checks and witnessed!). One intern had a dopler at the patients feet!!!!!! Okay little thing they may have NOT taught you in med school..no pulse no pulse..feet or not!

Okay so he is there when the chose to do shocks...duh..good ideas docs! They didn't know anything about meds..or CPR (since they were thinking about doing it on the patients bed with no backboard anyway...)..they just went for shock!

THERE is that intern with his dopler probe at the patients foot at "CLEAR". Okay I ran at him and tackled him on the ground as it went...saved his orifice! And said...ummmm clear means shock...not good to have metal probes at this point!

He thanked the heck out of me..it was a ZOO!!!! And I came back to the nursing desk to get totally chewed out for even being there (ummmm my patient???). "You have no place there in a code..you don't know anything"...oh man guess that interview and resume didn't quite get to them about the whole paramedic deal huh?

SO that doc..the intern..came up and chewed her out big time! YEAH!!!! And I just sat back and laughed! And said...yeah okay!

Lets just say..two weeks later I quit! I don't do hospitals anymore! I saw three other codes...one with a doc that wound up needing a shock because he got all ticked and started doing CPR because he didn't realize that we use pads now! BOOM that guy went down when he started..and it was too late to pull him off!

Remember folks...if you have to do CPR...basically that person is dead...do your best, don't stress out over the things you learned in a book...just do your best...because whatever you try..it is a bonus! That mindset takes your stress off..and leaves you to do your work! Trust yourself..really you know it..it is the stress of it that gets you!

James Huffman · Nov 3, 2004

A long time ago. And I remember it like it was yesterday.

I was at a hospital in Chicago. Floated to another floor, and there was a guy there named Frank. Frank was from Poland, and spoke no English. But that night Frank kept trying to communicate that his chest was hurting. I wasn't his nurse, and it was around 2 or 3 a.m., and his nurse was impatient (was Frank a hypo? was he a chronic complainer? I don't know) and kept telling him, "Frank, stop complaining, you're OK." I kept telling myself to mind my own business, that I didn't know what the situation was with him.

And Frank was OK, until he went into full code. And we did everything, and nothing worked, and Frank, who was just working in Chicago, trying to make some money for his family back in Warsaw, died there, no one around, no family, no priest, just us.

There are quiet times when I think about Frank. I hope I learned something then.

Trauma-tizedRN · Nov 3, 2004

I was doing chest compressions....happened to look down and noticed my shirt had unbuttoned to my bellybutton. Residents all giggly. Not a comfortable situation for a newbie. Threw that shirt away....

Oh, at least someone piped up and said "Boy if I ever code, not a bad way to wake up"....LOL....of course that was pre-children and 20 years ago.......:imbar

dazzle256 · Nov 3, 2004

I was doing chest compressions....happened to look down and noticed my shirt had unbuttoned to my bellybutton. Residents all giggly. Not a comfortable situation for a newbie. Threw that shirt away....

:) Oh yes I learned that lesson the hard way too.........never wear shirts that button or snap down the middle. For me it wasn't in a code I was putting a bedrail down my shirt got caught and lets just say the patient saw more then he wanted too

laurakoko · Nov 4, 2004

Mine, was a patient I received from the ER. The report went something like this.. "she is a 50 something female in with N/V, abdominal pain. She is FINE. We are working her up for gastroenteritis....not a problem..." HUHHHHHHHH. Until an hour later, she was anxious, and grabbing her abdomen. She was in pain, and kept asking to get on the BSC. I stayed with her, as I didn't think she was FINE, like I got in report. These little blood vessels started to "pop out" on her nose. She was still in such anxiety. I called the doc, he said get a GI consult. I did, STAT. He didn't say that, but I did. I called back, and back, and back, KNOWING something is wrong with this lady. I told the doc, he needed to come in now to see her. Her family was there, and kept insisting she never acts like this. Vital signs stable, bp on the lower end of normal 100/68. Sats 98%. Then the LOC changed, no more anxiety, lethargic. I panicked! Called the doc again, and again, and finally called the code blue. Coded her for a long time... she passed. NO BOWEL SOUNDS. She had a tumor in her abdomen, perforated her bowel, and she went into DIC, and bled out. (Hence the vessels on her nose). I will never forget it. I finally saw the doc in the elevator, bagging the pt, on the way to ICU, and I didn't know him, I said, "doing ok today?" He said "no, thats my pt". I said,"no, I think it WAS your patient. By the way Mr. new MD, if a senior nurse calls you 8 times in 2 hours about a patient, get your a** up here."

Oh, wasn't by far my first code.....but I think it was that doctors...

NurseFirst · Nov 4, 2004

mine, was a patient i received from the er. the report went something like this.. "she is a 50 something female in with n/v, abdominal pain. she is fine. we are working her up for gastroenteritis....not a problem..." huhhhhhhhh. until an hour later, she was anxious, and grabbing her abdomen. she was in pain, and kept asking to get on the bsc. i stayed with her, as i didn't think she was fine, like i got in report. these little blood vessels started to "pop out" on her nose. she was still in such anxiety. i called the doc, he said get a gi consult. i did, stat. he didn't say that, but i did. i called back, and back, and back, knowing something is wrong with this lady. i told the doc, he needed to come in now to see her. her family was there, and kept insisting she never acts like this. vital signs stable, bp on the lower end of normal 100/68. sats 98%. then the loc changed, no more anxiety, lethargic. i panicked! called the doc again, and again, and finally called the code blue. coded her for a long time... she passed. no bowel sounds. she had a tumor in her abdomen, perforated her bowel, and she went into dic, and bled out. (hence the vessels on her nose). i will never forget it. i finally saw the doc in the elevator, bagging the pt, on the way to icu, and i didn't know him, i said, "doing ok today?" he said "no, thats my pt". i said,"no, i think it was your patient. by the way mr. new md, if a senior nurse calls you 8 times in 2 hours about a patient, get your a** up here."
oh, wasn't by far my first code.....but i think it was that doctors...

nursefirst

QuilterLPN · Nov 4, 2004

Bed Side Commode :)

Trauma-tizedRN · Nov 4, 2004

I remember a code on a tele unit I worked....new nurse had pt off the monitor and in the shower. Pt arrested, her first code. Nurse hits code light. We all run in to find her in the shower starting CPR....with the water still running! She acted fast and was great but got so rattled she just hopped in with him without thinking about it! We teased her after that quite a bit....good nurse.

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD · Nov 4, 2004

It was the first code for all 3 RN's on the floor including the charge, we did have 2 very experienced LPN's working with us though. The patient, we'll call him Norm was a legend in the hospital, he had been in the hospital for 2 years and coded about 8 times. He was non-responsive, trached and occasionally on the vent. His pupils had been fixed and dilated for 2 years.

He had gotten sick and was maxed out on dopamine, back on the vent. Then a couple of hours into my shift, he just died. Heart rate dropped out, lost his BP. We were so clueless. We knew to call a code, but we didn't hook him up to the crashcart until the code team arrived and did it. We never had a viable rhythm, never regained a pulse, ran all the standard ACLS stuff. He was probably severely hypovolemic from GI blood loss and we were unable to replace his volume/blood in time. We finally stopped the code after 45 minutes with no response (only reason it went that long is we kept waiting for his primary MD in come in). I know we made a lot of small mistakes in his code but no way anything that affected the final outcome.

The whole hospital heard about his demise and would stop by and ask about him (he had been on just about every floor).