- Joined
- Mar 16, 2008
- Messages
- 48
- Reaction score
- 0
I was involved with this patient after she was "admitted" to the MICU (meaning she died in the ER before a bed was available) when I was an intern. She arrested in the field, was resuscitated and arrived in the ER with a rhythm and a pulse. Both were subsequently lost and CPR ensued. She was 80-something and looked like death anyway (frail, cachectic), and after a bedside TTE showed no cardiac motion, the code was called. As one of the nurses was removing the R2 pads, she could feel cardiac contracts (PMI) through the chest. Resuscitative efforts resumed, pt was intubated, given access, pressors, etc, but never woke up. The family withdrew support in the morning.
take off the monitor leads
i got called as a resident to one of the medical floors for a code --- it was the 2nd week of July....
there were two nurses pulling in the code cart, two interns with their goofy/scared smiles and the nurse manager -
the intern said the patient was given a dose of dilantin IV for a seizure disorder and became unresponsive
i looked at the monitor - sinus rhythm...
i looked at patient - patient's eyes are bulging out and has a really off-color (blue/purple).
i looked at patient's chest - there are pieces of rice/green peas and chicken from his dinner
i opened patients mouth, took a Miller - saw a wad of chicken on his cords - used some McGill forceps (which thankfully at the time were part of intubation trays - don't know if they still are)... took out chicken chunk...
patient said "Thank You"
I told the interns that this had nothing to do with Dilantin IV
that was my best code call ever...