What is the most complex clinical procedure you had to do in your career?

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As a student in her final year, the most complex clinical procedure for me has to be cleaning and packing a wound. I did this numerous times during clinical. What about you?

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Having to assist a surgeon to place aortic and venous cannulas to go on cardiopulmonary bypass. Patient was a trauma with cardiac injury who was crashing- the PA hadn't yet arrived and the patient couldn't wait. I was sweating bullets. It outranked having to do internal cardiac massage on a patient with abdominal trauma, but not by much.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Picture doesnt work!

Try this link:

http://sky-carla.com/cdh/09blog/feb/joseph_2-18_001.jpg

And this:

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ShLVlAiBGKI/maxresdefault.jpg

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
How do you guys manage staffing for patients on ECMO? I know you do your staffing different to us in the UK, for someone on ECMO they typically have two nurses look after them.

We also have 2 nurses. One to take care of the patient, and one to run the machine. Usually we change jobs each shift.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

OMG. At the end of my son's life (13 years old) we were given the option of doing this. After seeing these pictures, I am even more convinced it was the right decision for us and for him to decide not to do it. Thank you for posting those.

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Specializes in CVICU, CCRN.

My hospital is cray cray. While I don't manage ECMOs personally, my unit next door is the device unti with ECMOs.

Literally, we sometimes have patients sitting up in the chair while running ECMO. No joke. Its shocking the crap that we do.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
My hospital is cray cray. While I don't manage ECMOs personally, my unit next door is the device unti with ECMOs.

Literally, we sometimes have patients sitting up in the chair while running ECMO. No joke. Its shocking the crap that we do.

What is crazy about that? We should all be aware just how dangerous and bad for patients it is too keep them in bed 24/7. Due to shear mount of heavy physical labor and close attention to detail required it's very tempting to just let them stay in bed when they would be better off sitting up.

I applaud that unit.

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