The worst code you've seen?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2010

I remember a code that occurred in 2007 where I was the only person who was actively involved. My colleagues and other code participants were laughing and trying to turn the event into a "slow code" while I was doing chest compressions on an older client.

The event only reaffirms my desire to obtain a DNR/DNI order for myself once I reach a certain age. While I don't believe in heroic measures for terminally ill patients, I feel that each client's wishes should be honored with a certain degree of respect.

twentytenRN · Mar 20, 2010

Serious PP hemorrhage-----> Hemorrhagic shock-----> Full code.

After a full resucitation and 26-28 units of blood and products, she lived, no neural deficits and eventually went home with her new baby. She was dead on the OR table. I've never seen blood pour out of somebody like that. I'll never forget it.

**shivers**

jesshopper12 · Mar 20, 2010

Serious PP hemorrhage-----> Hemorrhagic shock-----> Full code.
After a full resucitation and 26-28 units of blood and products, she lived, no neural deficits and eventually went home with her new baby. She was dead on the OR table. I've never seen blood pour out of somebody like that. I'll never forget it.
**shivers**

This did indeed give me goosebumps - AMAZING.

jesshopper12 · Mar 20, 2010

I was the charge RN one weekend with a patient assignment and an orientee. As charge RN, I was helping out another RN by transferring her patient to another unit to initiate bipap (can't do it on our unit). This patient had some sort of bowel resection, and was currently minimally responsive, febrile, etc. (Next time I will forgo transfer and call rapid response :) ) Fast forward to arrival on new unit: slide patient onto new bed, patient begins to spew froth from mouth. EKG patches slapped on, beat...beat........beat.....................call the code. On another unit. With an orientee, oh my poor orientee. This was a rather large woman, with a wound vac on her large abdominal incision. With each compression the contents of her bowels sprayed out. She transferred shortly thereafter to the ICU, then to the OR (perfed bowel - go figure), and eventually passed away.

And to this day I still can't help but wonder.....what if she would have coded in the elevator??

MarkonCRT · Mar 20, 2010

The saddest code that I'll never forget was a full term pregnency involved in MVA. C-section in ER with both patients gone. I remember the silence in the room. I cried alot on this one later in the evening. It's one part of healthcare that I really hate.

traumalover, RN · Mar 20, 2010

8 year old boy shot in a drive by...chest cracked in the trauma room, prolonged code, got a junctional ryhtym and a pulse, went to or. He died on the table while they were trying to get him on bypass.

Also, one on the floor at shift change where no md showed up except anestesiologist who spoke poor English and couldn't get the guy tubed, the guy had clearly aspirated, and only other member of code team was ER nurse with 2 months experience....about half an hour in MD strolled in, stated we've done all we can, and called it! :uhoh3:

ittybabyRN, RN · Mar 20, 2010

8 mo old baby girl (former 23 weeker), had a rough life to begin with, at this point almost no bowel, hugely enlarged liver from 8mo of tpn/il, terrible lungs, bad head coded every other shift, well this one was her last. 6+ hrs of compressions, shocks, meds and eventual placement onto ECMO which still didn't help her, she was bleeding out so bad from everywhere & they couldn't even get the cannulas in place in her neck...all the nurses just wanted to end it (it was long overdue) but the docs kept pushing, with her parents in the background asking for a heart transplant, her heart really wasn't the issue at that point...I think she just finally had enough and wanted to be with her twin sister who had passed months ago :redpinkhe

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2010

I work acute care so don't see alot of pt deaths. I will never forget the day one of the tech's was bathing a pt,and suddenly came out screaming that the pt stopped breathing. This 10 year old boy, who was being cleaned up to be discharged home with mom, had just gone into cardiac arrest. They worked on him for well over an hour, but found out his his K was like greater than 10. Poor kid hadn't had a BMP ordered in days, so no one had a clue his K had been trending upward. I remember mom showed up in the middle of the code to take her son home... :redbeathe

rachelgeorgina · Mar 20, 2010

what if she would have coded in the elevator??

I was on a unit where this happened. Relatively stable patient had been taken by a porter to radiology. She arrested in the elevator on the way back to the unit with only the porter with her who had no idea what to do.

Mammy1111 · Mar 20, 2010

A 20 something male who arrested after seizures, a very long code with no response, then a heroic effort of opening the chest, in the ER, and doing manual massage of the heart. My opinion was that it was over about 15 min before opening the chest. A doctor at the nurses station stated.."they started that young man's autopsy in that room", and I agreed.

JDZ344 · Mar 20, 2010

These stories are so sad. I hope I never see anything like you guys have. Hats off to you all.