This Was Truely Unexpected Event

[angelique777]

Was not on duty this particular day but one of my co-workers had a horrible experience. She was covering for her partner when she notices that one of the leads of the telemetry monitor comes off. She goes in to check on the patient. Patient had been admitted as a walkin talkie. Steady no fall risk. Pt was on BiPAP that night and when she goes in to reconnect the lead . PT states he wants to get up and go to bath room b/c he was feeling a little nauseous. Pt is about 6'2" or so. Strong guy normally steady on his feet. PT got up at of bed and without warning passed out in front of her. There was nothing she could do. Pt just passed out hit the floor and ended up quadraplegic if you can believe that. How freaky is that.

Horrible for the nurse horrible for the family and patient. But it happen so fast so sudden. All the right things was done PA covering had experience with neuro and logged rolled patient it was just horrible. It could have been any of us on duty.

I have a habit to always tell my patient please please do not get up out of bed if you feel dizzy if you do not feel well. However patient have minds of there own. I had a patient one morning that I told this to. He too was a tall man independent steady patient. I told him not to get up without calling me but in the morning patient felt like getting up he did just that and fell head first. Pt cut his forhead told me later how sorry he was for not listening to me. Hey what can you do.

Stuff like this happens. Since this happen to this other nurse its made me a little more nerevous about my patient. Especially when my partner goes on break and there are more patients to cover.

I had another patient one night who was s/p fall at home. In ER Ct scan showed a small bleed. I kept checking on this patient. He had been independent at home and very reluctant to call for assistance. I kept reminding him this was only tempory until the doctors took care of his bleed. Patient was so upset that I wanted to help him each time he got out of bed that he asked for another nurse stating that I was making him feel like he was incompetent. He got another nurse that night and that particular nurse ignored him all night. I had another patient in that room and would go in and talk to him often and check in on him. The patient that did not want me stating I was over protective then was complaining b/c he was being ignored by his new nurse. Patient can drive you to drink but in the end the nurse will always be blamed.

I heard that on inguiry they even asked our manager that if the patient truely fell why didnt the nurse fall with him as well. Go figure its so scary sometimes in this profession. It truely scares me some times. I pray before every shift. Its hard enough when a patient does not survive a heart attack but to have something random happen like this truely pulls on your heart.

Well just sharing hoping all you nurses out there stay safe. Say a prayer for this nurse and this patient family as well.

[lpnstudentin2010, LPN]

that is scary.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

i would have to wonder if the reason for the "dizziness" also contriguted to the quadreplegia.....

[caliotter3]

When I was a CNA, I was assisting a tall man to get from his chair to bed. He had one of those chairs that tilts up and forward. All we really had to do was to pivot with one step and he could sit on the bed and get in. Three days later, I was paralyzed in bed with a back injury from helping him move. I was in pain and scared. I mean, it was only one step and a pivot. He didn't fall. I didn't feel anything give as I assisted him. My back was bothersome for a very long time afterward. I can certainly see how things like this can happen, and so quick. You don't often have time to react properly.

[ktwlpn, LPN]

I heard that on inguiry they even asked our manager that if the patient truely fell why didnt the nurse fall with him as well.

That's not the first time I have heard admin make statements like that.It's as if they feel we should sacrifice ourselves FOR the pateint.I have seen too many nurses and cna's suffer life altering injuries.It is instinctual to try to reach out and grab someone to try and stop them from falling but in my experience this can actually cause more harm to patient and staff.I'll do what I can to steer the patient away from injury if possible but if they are starting to go then they are going.

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

I'll do the "ease em down the leg" move, but if they're falling forward, I'm not going to throw myself in front of em, or try to hold em up against gravity.....I'll do my best to keep them from injury, but not at the cost of my career....

[HyperRNRachel]

I know this goes without saying but always document your *ss off when patients are unwilling to follow instructions or are noncompliant with written orders.

I had an elderly lady come into the ER with her daughter. Patient was too weak to get into the ER bed without assistance from several people. When she stated she wanted to get out of bed to use the restroom I said no. After I left the room the daughter puts one of the big square emesis basins on a chair and then helps her mother onto the pan to have a bowel movement. Yep, smasked to basin like a pancake. When I walked in I find this I was furious. I immediately get the lady back in bed, turn on the computer in the room, and tell the patient and the daughter that I am documenting the entire event. I further instructed them that if she did have a fall in the hospital from not following directions that she would have nobody to blame but herself. I also told them I would pass the information when giving report to the floor nurse.

If you have someone unwilling to follow basic instructions, document, document, document. It may save your butt or your fellow nurse.

[EmmaG, RN]

That's not the first time I have heard admin make statements like that.It's as if they feel we should sacrifice ourselves FOR the pateint.I have seen too many nurses and cna's suffer life altering injuries.It is instinctual to try to reach out and grab someone to try and stop them from falling but in my experience this can actually cause more harm to patient and staff.I'll do what I can to steer the patient away from injury if possible but if they are starting to go then they are going.

Absolutely.

I injured my neck and back just grabbing for a patient who looked like they were going over. They didn't fall and I didn't actually support their weight or even get a hold on them, it was simply my sudden, twisting movement that hurt me.

Like you said, it's almost an instinctive response. Well, I learned a very painful lesson. If a patient is going down, I'll protect them as best I can but they're going down.

[Mulan]

I have relatives in a home that has walkie talkies, nursing care required, and inbetween.

The CNA's there were told that if anyone fell they had better be on the floor underneath them. They would be fired if anyone fell.

[EmmaG, RN]

i have relatives in a home that has walkie talkies, nursing care required, and inbetween.

the cna's there were told that if anyone fell they had better be on the floor underneath them. they would be fired if anyone fell.

:angryfire

that kind of ignorant attitude explains this:

- nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants, had 49,480 days away from work cases and a rate of 526 per 10,000 workers, which was more than four times the total for all occupations.

fifty-six percent of the injuries and illnesses to these workers involved health care patients, of which 86 percent were due to overexertion.

https://allnurses.com/forums/2586221-post39.html

[DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN]

i would have to wonder if the reason for the "dizziness" also contriguted to the quadreplegia.....

No, quadraplegia would be due to a break or injury to the spinal cord. Dizziness would contribute to the fall but not the quadraplegia.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

No, quadraplegia would be due to a break or injury to the spinal cord. Dizziness would contribute to the fall but not the quadraplegia.

im thinking that the dizziness may come from a problem IN THE NECK, or even intracranially affecting the brain stem......maybe even chiari with syringomyelia (sp)....and i was positing a contribution, not an absolute cause.....