The worst code you've seen?

guest239592 · Mar 21, 2010

My second code I was part of at my summer internship in the med/surg ICU. It was the last day of my internship, i happened to stay late that day for a 16 hour shift to help out due to short staffing (working more as a nursing assistant, stocking rooms etc.) We had two sides to the unit, the side we were on usually only had a few pts on it, so there had to be at least 2 RNs at all times in case someone coded. I remember like it was yesterday, 2 nurses were in the room doing some routine care w/ the pt, when one nurse screamed to get the crash cart and get the MDs there (teaching hosp so residents on all night). Pt dumped a liter of blood from a deep abd drain he had hooked to LIS. Eyes rolled back, V-Tach, V-Fib. Pt was in hemorrhagic shock. We were doing compressions on our way down to the OR, I was pressure bagging blood in. Ended up pt blew his iliac artery. Surgeon was barely able to do a cut down in time and did save him. I swear it looked like something from TV.

This code was told to me by my critical care nursing instructor. She has been and ICU nurse since the early days of ICUs coming into existence in the US. This code was in TX, very hot day. Their hosp pharm somehow ran out of lidocaine (before the days of amio) Pharmacist ran outside a few blocks to a competing hospital to get Lido, brought it back and was pouring in sweat. He was leaning a little too close to the metal side rail and sure enough got shocked w/ the pt and he went into V-Fib, so the team had two codes to manage now. Thankfully both the pt and the pharmacist lived.

Thrombus · Mar 21, 2010

Pt fell and spent the night outside during the winter. Brought to ER coding. Coded for a long while (long time ago can't remember exactly how long) before it was called. While cleaning up er room, nurse had back turned to pt putting things in the trash. Pt reach over and grabbed his leg... you're not dead until you're warm and dead!

bklynbaby · Mar 21, 2010

The md at the head of bed doing ventilations was watching a sports game that was on TV and seemed more concerned with the score than with the important task at hand, Also at one point the code team, nurses not included, erupted into applause. I assumed they had gotten a pulse. But no, they were finally able to insert the central line that they were having trouble inserting. The patient died. But that code team was so unprofessional.

Nurseboy1 · Mar 21, 2010

My worst code was an 18 year old 22 weeks pregnant, PEA arrest from a massive PE. We coded her for over an hour got her back several times but couldn't keep her going. Gave TPA and emptied 2 code carts. The thing that sticks with me to this day was the cries of her mother witnessing the code and begging us to save her girl.

shoegalRN, RN · Mar 21, 2010

Had a pt who coded on me in the ICU right when I connected her to the portable monitor to take to CT. Checked for pulse, no pulse, was in PEA. Jumped on bed, starting doing compressions. We worked on her for about 30 minutes. Emptied the crash cart. The doctor called it. As I an writing down the time of death, another nurse was getting ready to clean her up and just so happened checked for a pulse. Pt has a pulse 10 minutes after it was called. Everyone rushed back to her room like it was a race.

We did get the pt back, but she eventually died right before Christmas. Pt was fairly young with 7 kids.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Mar 21, 2010

i was a brand new icu nurse and was sent into room one to help a colleague wrestle with her patient, a middle aged lady with metastatic lung cancer. they were doing a bronchoscopy at the bedside, and since i had never seen one, it was to be "a great learning opportunity.) the doctor scoping suddenly jumped back just as blood began to erupt from the et tube. lots of blood. lots and lots of blood. there was blood everywhere. meanwhile, the poor lady was awake, watching all of this blood come out of her tube. (we didn't have propofol in those days!) you could see in her eyes she knew she was dying. it was awful!

CFitzRN, ADN · Mar 22, 2010

i was a brand new icu nurse and was sent into room one to help a colleague wrestle with her patient, a middle aged lady with metastatic lung cancer. they were doing a bronchoscopy at the bedside, and since i had never seen one, it was to be "a great learning opportunity.) the doctor scoping suddenly jumped back just as blood began to erupt from the et tube. lots of blood. lots and lots of blood. there was blood everywhere. meanwhile, the poor lady was awake, watching all of this blood come out of her tube. (we didn't have propofol in those days!) you could see in her eyes she knew she was dying. it was awful!

wow. that is just horrible. and i know there are so many stories like this...

Badger4lfe262 · Jul 29, 2011

When I was in nursing school I was spending my day in the peds ER, 6 yo child comes in, apparently a frequent visitor to this ER with a lot of chronic problems, he was found down at home and is 20 minutes out by the time he gets to ER. His stomach was so inflated and he was very mottled and extremities were cold. The team worked on him for at least 45 minutes before the doctor finally called it after. His mother and grandmother were sitting in the corner of the room just crying please help him please help him and then when it was finally called they were laying on him and pleading for the staff to restart efforts. Finally some nurses wrapped him in a blanket and let her hold him. The rest of the family came and was there 6 hours even after the coroner left.

CFitzRN, ADN · Jul 29, 2011

When I was in nursing school I was spending my day in the peds ER, 6 yo child comes in, apparently a frequent visitor to this ER with a lot of chronic problems, he was found down at home and is 20 minutes out by the time he gets to ER. His stomach was so inflated and he was very mottled and extremities were cold. The team worked on him for at least 45 minutes before the doctor finally called it after. His mother and grandmother were sitting in the corner of the room just crying please help him please help him and then when it was finally called they were laying on him and pleading for the staff to restart efforts. Finally some nurses wrapped him in a blanket and let her hold him. The rest of the family came and was there 6 hours even after the coroner left.

Very, very sad.

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Jul 29, 2011

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.

Similar....I was only out of school for MAYBE a year...working an acute neuro floor on nights - 28 beds, 2 RNs...that's it. I'd done my rounds, vitals all decent on my 14, meds done, etc...I was getting ready to chart when RT asks "who's got the patient in room X?" I said "I do, why?" RT (totally calm) says "she's dead" (this was before there were a lot of hard and fast rules about DNRs- we got them, but not all that often)... I go flying down to the room, and start jumping all over her chest w/compressions, looking to see why RT is just STANDING THERE. I was dumb founded. Ok, so she was cold. Ok, so she had a bit of dependent lividity. Aren't we going to TRY????? (also, lady was nearly fossilized she was so old). My charge nurse (and only other RN on the floor) walked in- looked around, and walked out mumbling something to the TWO RTs that weren't doing anything. Next thing I know is that the 2 RTs have arms under my arms and are physically carrying me out of the room.... Come to find out, she had a AAA that blew- all I did was spread the blood around her abdomen...

That one shook me up- she'd been ok from a concrete 'on-paper' standpoint.

I've been fortunate...I've only seen a few codes. A lot of emergencies, but few codes.

CFitzRN, ADN · Jul 29, 2011

Similar....I was only out of school for MAYBE a year...working an acute neuro floor on nights - 28 beds, 2 RNs...that's it. I'd done my rounds, vitals all decent on my 14, meds done, etc...I was getting ready to chart when RT asks "who's got the patient in room X?" I said "I do, why?" RT (totally calm) says "she's dead" (this was before there were a lot of hard and fast rules about DNRs- we got them, but not all that often)... I go flying down to the room, and start jumping all over her chest w/compressions, looking to see why RT is just STANDING THERE. I was dumb founded. Ok, so she was cold. Ok, so she had a bit of dependent lividity. Aren't we going to TRY????? (also, lady was nearly fossilized she was so old). My charge nurse (and only other RN on the floor) walked in- looked around, and walked out mumbling something to the TWO RTs that weren't doing anything. Next thing I know is that the 2 RTs have arms under my arms and are physically carrying me out of the room.... Come to find out, she had a AAA that blew- all I did was spread the blood around her abdomen...
That one shook me up- she'd been ok from a concrete 'on-paper' standpoint.
I've been fortunate...I've only seen a few codes. A lot of emergencies, but few codes.

Yeah, my brother-in-law, 48 years old, went down very suddenly with an AAA a year and a half ago at his desk at work. The EMTs who came were doing compressions all the way to the hospital. They had no idea....

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Jul 29, 2011

Yeah, my brother-in-law, 48 years old, went down very suddenly with an AAA a year and a half ago at his desk at work. The EMTs who came were doing compressions all the way to the hospital. They had no idea....

That is so sad- I'm sorry about your brother-in-law. AAAs are such sneaky buggers. The lady I saw my first code on had one (and they, too, had no idea- she came in with non-descript back pain).