Most obnoxious thing an anesthesiologist has done in the OR?

[RedRubberCath]

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So most anesthesiologists don't spend 100% of their time charting and looking at the monitors. Most of the anesthesiologists I've worked with spend their time either reading or chatting with the folks in the OR.
But today I was in with an anesthesiologist that spent an hour on his cell phone with some random customer service person, rambling on and on about getting an RMA # to return some electronic thing he bought. I thought it was sort of pushing the limits of etiquette.

So, what is the most obnoxious/questionable thing an anesthesiologist has done in the OR? Let's hear the stories! 😀

 

[waterski232002]

I think this should be opened up to "most obnoxious things that anesthesiologists OR surgeons do in the OR".... I'll bet your stories will get a lot more horrific when you include the people on the other side of the curtain.

 

[usnavdoc]

I once had a surgeon throw a scalpel at another med student in a trauma case. Doesnt get much more "obnoxious" than that not to mention out right dangerous.

No specialty is immune to these kinds of things.

 

[mysophobe]

This isn't anything he does specifically, but I know an anesthesiologist that has a really, really obnoxious voice. God, it drives me bananas.

Oh, and I know one that is obsessed with Arby's, but he's cool so it's okay.

 

[u_r_my_serenity]

An anethesiologist was busted at my institution with some sort of bag under his clothing intravenously tied to his body that contained a narcotic or some other drug. He had a mechanism to get a dose on command while walking around at work.

 

[toughlife]

So most anesthesiologists don't spend 100% of their time charting and looking at the monitors. Most of the anesthesiologists I've worked with spend their time either reading or chatting with the folks in the OR.
But today I was in with an anesthesiologist that spent an hour on his cell phone with some random customer service person, rambling on and on about getting an RMA # to return some electronic thing he bought. I thought it was sort of pushing the limits of etiquette.

So, what is the most obnoxious/questionable thing an anesthesiologist has done in the OR? Let's hear the stories! 😀

Let me guess, you are a SRNA or some other paraprofessional.

 

[Hurricane]

I think this should be opened up to "most obnoxious things that anesthesiologists OR surgeons do in the OR".... I'll bet your stories will get a lot more horrific when you include the people on the other side of the curtain.

Dr. Joe Fisher (now chairman of surgery at Harvard Beth Israel) had a medical student taped to an IV pole for contaminating himself, according to several people I know who were medical students back in the 90s when Fisher was the chair here.

And there is a guy here who head-butted a resident.

 

[Apollyon]

Back when I was a student on surgery, one of my buddies was in the OR with the ortho guys, and the attending didn't like something the resident did, so he took the mallet and hit the resident in the face shield (and, not like a tap - actually bounced him back from the table) with it.

During residency, my anesthesia rotation SUCKED because, as the rotation coordinator said, "it's not an intubating rotation, it's an ANESTHESIA rotation". Now, when the residents and CRNA's are doing crossword puzzles, and they get a chair and a lunch break, standing there peeking over the drape is a COMPLETE dud.

 

[southerndoc]

Back when I was a student on surgery, one of my buddies was in the OR with the ortho guys, and the attending didn't like something the resident did, so he took the mallet and hit the resident in the face shield (and, not like a tap - actually bounced him back from the table) with it.

If this happened in the corporate world, someone would be fired and a company sued.

Yet for some reason, we overlook abuse in medicine. Residents and students are frequently mistreated, yet we do nothing about it.

 

[Skrubz]

An anethesiologist was busted at my institution with some sort of bag under his clothing intravenously tied to his body that contained a narcotic or some other drug. He had a mechanism to get a dose on command while walking around at work.

sounds like he made a working version of my PCA (pager controlled analgesia) idea. 😛 i really wanted one during internship...

as a med student, i worked with a vascular surgeon who would often take breaks from the OR mid-case... to go out for a smoke. of course, there was a pulmonologist who took smoking breaks in the middle of clinic too.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

i am not a resident but i shadowed with a fourth year who was working on a anesthesia rotation and she said the surgeon had picked up the tray of tools and threw it at his nurses. she also said that the same guy threw a chair at a nurse and gave her a concussion. psycho ass.

 

[beary]

she also said that the same guy threw a chair at a nurse and gave her a concussion. psycho ass.

Wow, not only is that out of bounds in a professional environment, that's flat-out assault and the guy should be arrested. I would press charges if anybody ever did that to me.

 

[DireWolf]

Wow, not only is that out of bounds in a professional environment, that's flat-out assault and the guy should be arrested. I would press charges if anybody ever did that to me.

Sounds like something Tony Stewart would do. 😉

 

[radonc]

what used to get me were those anesthesiologists who bragged about their jobs, like they needed some sort of validation by a medical student

 

[gutonc]

Dr. Joe Fisher (now chairman of surgery at Harvard Beth Israel) had a medical student taped to an IV pole for contaminating himself, according to several people I know who were medical students back in the 90s when Fisher was the chair here.

And there is a guy here who head-butted a resident.

While I was doing my anesthesia rotation there was a big broo-ha-ha about a surgical attending who attacked a CA-3 mid-procedure. Punched him in the face, knocked out a couple of teeth and broke his nose. I don't have any idea what it was all about but he (the surgeon) had his privileges suspended and was fined about $50K by the hospital. I'm certain the resident was planning to see him in court as well. Fortunately for the resident, it's a 4 hospital system so it was easy for him to avoid that hospital for the rest of his residency.

BE

 

[Ruban]

😱

While I was doing my anesthesia rotation there was a big broo-ha-ha about a surgical attending who attacked a CA-3 mid-procedure. Punched him in the face, knocked out a couple of teeth and broke his nose. I don't have any idea what it was all about but he (the surgeon) had his privileges suspended and was fined about $50K by the hospital. I'm certain the resident was planning to see him in court as well. Fortunately for the resident, it's a 4 hospital system so it was easy for him to avoid that hospital for the rest of his residency.

BE

 

[DireWolf]

I agree that a veteran anesthesiologist making phone calls and surfing the internet probably doesn't have a negative effect on patient care, but it's unprofessional.

 

[Apollyon]

i am not a resident but i shadowed with a fourth year who was working on a anesthesia rotation and she said the surgeon had picked up the tray of tools and threw it at his nurses. she also said that the same guy threw a chair at a nurse and gave her a concussion. psycho ass.

There was a surgeon fired - literally - from Duke just under 2 years ago (I just had to dictate a 2 year old chart of his, although he's long gone) after his second offense. First was he grabbed and pushed a nurse in the OR - whose husband happened to be with the Durham PD. She swore out a complaint, he (the surgeon) got arrested at Duke, somehow the charges went away.

Second time was on a Sunday - one of my colleagues was the trauma junior, and there was an ortho prelim who was the intern. The j-tube fell out of the patient onto the floor, and the intern threw it out (sounds reasonable). The attending was in-house that day, and grabbed the intern by the scrub collar and dragged him over to the garbage (as my colleague watched), and, with one hand on the collar, used the other to take the j-tube out of the trash, and dragged intern and tube over to the patient, and says (paraphrased, but the curse words are correct), "I don't care if that tube has been in dog ****, you put it back in" (I know the wording is correct, because he said it in front of family - yep). He then "carefully re-inserted" the tube - how do I know this? Because he documented it - that he took the tube out of the garbage and put it back into the patient.

That was - finally - the straw that broke the camel's back.

He got fired, got a slap on the wrist by the North Carolina Medical Board, and is now in Indianapolis.

 

[mmmmdonuts]

The j-tube fell out of the patient onto the floor, and the intern threw it out (sounds reasonable).

not really

 

[wook]

There was a surgeon fired - literally - from Duke just under 2 years ago (I just had to dictate a 2 year old chart of his, although he's long gone) after his second offense. First was he grabbed and pushed a nurse in the OR - whose husband happened to be with the Durham PD. She swore out a complaint, he (the surgeon) got arrested at Duke, somehow the charges went away.

Second time was on a Sunday - one of my colleagues was the trauma junior, and there was an ortho prelim who was the intern. The j-tube fell out of the patient onto the floor, and the intern threw it out (sounds reasonable). The attending was in-house that day, and grabbed the intern by the scrub collar and dragged him over to the garbage (as my colleague watched), and, with one hand on the collar, used the other to take the j-tube out of the trash, and dragged intern and tube over to the patient, and says (paraphrased, but the curse words are correct), "I don't care if that tube has been in dog ****, you put it back in" (I know the wording is correct, because he said it in front of family - yep). He then "carefully re-inserted" the tube - how do I know this? Because he documented it - that he took the tube out of the garbage and put it back into the patient.

That was - finally - the straw that broke the camel's back.

He got fired, got a slap on the wrist by the North Carolina Medical Board, and is now in Indianapolis.

Dang, I'm starting to feel like my surgery and anesthesia rotations were pretty nice!!

Wook

 

[dlc6]

oops!

 

[GoofyDoc]

While I was doing my anesthesia rotation there was a big broo-ha-ha about a surgical attending who attacked a CA-3 mid-procedure. Punched him in the face, knocked out a couple of teeth and broke his nose. I don't have any idea what it was all about but he (the surgeon) had his privileges suspended and was fined about $50K by the hospital. I'm certain the resident was planning to see him in court as well. Fortunately for the resident, it's a 4 hospital system so it was easy for him to avoid that hospital for the rest of his residency.

BE

Who was the surgeon? 😱

 

[NateatUC]

Not sure if this is obnoxious or not, but had an interesting experience on my anesthesia elective.

We were in a CABG, and the pt had just gone on the pump. My attending turned off the vent as usual at this point, set up a propofol drip, and then we proceded to leave the OR and take a 20 minute coffee break in the lounge! Attending surgeon didn't seem to care, though, so I guess it was OK. My attending's comment: "They'll find us if they need us."

 

[Skrubz]

Not sure if this is obnoxious or not, but had an interesting experience on my anesthesia elective.

We were in a CABG, and the pt had just gone on the pump. My attending turned off the vent as usual at this point, set up a propofol drip, and then we proceded to leave the OR and take a 20 minute coffee break in the lounge! Attending surgeon didn't seem to care, though, so I guess it was OK. My attending's comment: "They'll find us if they need us."

eep. that frightens me... and is against ASA standards of practice.

STANDARDS FOR BASIC ANESTHETIC MONITORING

STANDARD I
Qualified anesthesia personnel shall be present in the room throughout the conduct of all general anesthetics, regional anesthetics and monitored anesthesia care.
OBJECTIVE
Because of the rapid changes in patient status during anesthesia, qualified anesthesia personnel shall be continuously present to monitor the patient and provide anesthesia care. In the event there is a direct known hazard, e.g., radiation, to the anesthesia personnel which might require intermittent remote observation of the patient, some provision for monitoring the patient must be made. In the event that an emergency requires the temporary absence of the person primarily responsible for the anesthetic, the best judgment of the anesthesiologist will be exercised in comparing the emergency with the anesthetized patient’s condition and in the selection of the person left responsible for the anesthetic during the temporary absence.

from Basic Anesthesia Monitoring, Standards for
__________________
"Pickles!"
PGY-2/CA-1 (2005-6): Stanford University, Anesthesia

 

[Apollyon]

not really

So will you make sure that your grandma's or mother's G or J tube is dragged on the floor before it's put in, or the anesthesiologist licks your ET tube before putting it in your trachea?

I mean, if you're joking, it doesn't seem it, beyond not being funny. If you think it is reasonable to put a j-tube that has been in a trash can back into a patient, then your judgement is suspect.

 

[mmmmdonuts]

So will you make sure that your grandma's or mother's G or J tube is dragged on the floor before it's put in, or the anesthesiologist licks your ET tube before putting it in your trachea?

ill keep that in mind next time i run into a sterile gi tract

 

[Apollyon]

ill keep that in mind next time i run into a sterile gi tract

You just love to argue and be contrary, don't you?

Why bother to scrub and use sterile instruments when doing hemorrhoids or other rectal procedures? By your bulletproof logic, you wouldn't need to. Hell, why does ENT gown and glove when working in the oropharynx, after having been "prepped and draped in the usual sterile fashion"?

Just try that next time you're in a procedure. Even say, "some idiot online says that taking a j-tube out of the garbage and putting it back in the patient is not reasonable", and see the response you get. Then you may see who the idiot is.

 

[mmmmdonuts]

You just love to argue and be contrary, don't you?

no i just don't like to be histrionic. id rather replace a j-tube that wasnt sterile to begin with than maybe have to return to the or. my bad i guess next time ill just start talking about moms and grandmas instead and then call people idiots

 

[Apollyon]

no i just don't like to be histrionic. id rather replace a j-tube that wasnt sterile to begin with than maybe have to return to the or. my bad i guess next time ill just start talking about moms and grandmas instead and then call people idiots

The guy that did this called another of my colleagues three hours after he'd signed out one day to call him a "****ing idiot" and go on and on for 5 minutes with every expletive in the book - because he had told the SENIOR when he signed out that a patient needed an abg before DC as per this attending, but the senior didn't get the abg.

"Idiot" is the seeming favorite word of disgruntled surgeons.

P.S. Punctuation is your friend. Use it.

 

[mmmmdonuts]

The guy that did this called another of my colleagues three hours after he'd signed out one day to call him a "****ing idiot" and go on and on for 5 minutes with every expletive in the book - because he had told the SENIOR when he signed out that a patient needed an abg before DC as per this attending, but the senior didn't get the abg.

this story is obviously lacking a lot of details. why dont you flesh it out a little and get back to us.

"Idiot" is the seeming favorite word of disgruntled surgeons.

yeah but the difference is that they actually know what theyre talking about. all you did was start using the word because you were all worked up about something you didnt really understand and got angry about it

P.S. Punctuation is your friend. Use it.

is this where were going now? i mean next time i misspell something are you going to tell me the dictionary is my friend too? just because you were histrionic and now youre trying really hard to find something to criticize?

 

[Gimlet]

Give it a rest, guys.

 

[mysophobe]

Who scrubs for hemorrhoids? We just throw a gown and gloves on. I don't think I've ever scrubbed for a short rectal procedure like that.

 

[mysophobe]

Wait, how did this go from anesthesiologists to hemorrhoids anyway?

 

[mmmmdonuts]

Who scrubs for hemorrhoids? We just throw a gown and gloves on.

what? what about if it was your mommy or grandmoms rectum you were exploring?! you idiot! 😡

😀

 

[mysophobe]

I can't tell if that was a joke, lol. The simultaneous use of red, angry face and smiling, green face confuses me. Please clarify.

That is all.

EDIT: Nevermind, I saw the granny thing.

 

[mysophobe]

And no, I wouldn't. It's a waste of time. 😛

 

[mmmmdonuts]

ok heres a story. you know how when your a med student you have to transport the patient after the case? so an anesthesiologist was with me in the room afterwards. and when the surgeon was there she was all polite and nice but when he left she thought shed flex her muscles or something. anyway she was doing her thing and extubating the patient and i wasnt getting in her way. then the surgeon popped his head back in and told me to do something for the patient in recovery but i missed it. at that exact time the anesthesiologist finishes her thing and is like 'lets move the patient now!" and i say, 'hold on' and leave the room to ask the surgeon what he said. then i return to the room and shes got some attitude about how dare i ignore her because shes an attending. and i said look, im trying to find out what the surgeon wanted for the patient. and she says that better have been more important that this! and i said' more important than moving the patient to a stretcher?' and started laughing at her. it was so sad. she wanted to report me, too, but realized that i hadn't done anything reportable.

 

[mmmmdonuts]

And no, I wouldn't. It's a waste of time. 😛

but some guy in ED said i have to! you suck. where do u work because im reporting you to the medical board.

 

[MD'05]

but some guy in ED said i have to! you suck. where do u work because im reporting you to the medical board.

Wow. mmm-mmm Gone.

I haven't seen too much in my career so far. A surgery attending wrapped me in the knuckles once with the blunt end of a scalpel. I didn't flinch. He was an a-s-s-hole of the highest caliber. I gave him the evil over-the-surgical-mask glare and he didn't f*ck with me again.

The anesthesiology residents I've worked with are generally pretty cool and have a killer sense of humor.

 

[mysophobe]

He must have gone to Catholic school. 😛 I had an attending put the bovie on my finger and push the button to show me it wouldn't burn me, but I had already done that myself (I was curious), so it wasn't a big deal.

As far as attendings flexing their muscles, I've seen them try and do some stupid ****, but I just ignore it and laugh about it later.

 

[Hurricane]

The only time I ever got yelled at in the OR was thanking the surgeon. No kidding. It was the same surgeon I mentioned above who intentionally head-butted a resident.

At the end of the case I went over and said my standard "thank you" to the surgeon, and we have the following exchange:

Me: Thank you Dr. X
Dr: What are you thanking me for?
Me: Um, for letting me scrub in.
Dr: Why wouldn't I let you scrub in?
Me: Um...
Dr: Is this not a teaching hospital? Are you not here to learn? Why would I not let you scrub in? blah blah

Luckily I still had my mask on so he couldn't see me trying to stifle my giggle. Dude is bat**** crazy.

 

[mysophobe]

I know my share of "bat**** crazy" attendings. More than once I've chastized the scrub nurse for refusing to stab me in the eye with the scalpel. Sterile, shmerile.

 

[la gringa]

was in an ENT case this year when the chief asked the anesthesia resident to airplane the bed to the right - but she didn't hear b/c she had HEADPHONES on... and was facing away from the patient.'

 

[ThinkFast007]

The only time I ever got yelled at in the OR was thanking the surgeon. No kidding. It was the same surgeon I mentioned above who intentionally head-butted a resident.

At the end of the case I went over and said my standard "thank you" to the surgeon, and we have the following exchange:

Me: Thank you Dr. X
Dr: What are you thanking me for?
Me: Um, for letting me scrub in.
Dr: Why wouldn't I let you scrub in?
Me: Um...
Dr: Is this not a teaching hospital? Are you not here to learn? Why would I not let you scrub in? blah blah

Luckily I still had my mask on so he couldn't see me trying to stifle my giggle. Dude is bat**** crazy.

no offense, but i always wondered why students thanked surgeons at the end of surgeries. ESPECIALLY if they didnt teach the student anything and just had them retract/do work. they should be tahnking you (atleast that's what i've seen good surgeons do).

no offense, but even know as a 4th year student, when i see 3rd years 'thanking' attendings q 5min, i can see the brown stuff on their noses soo apparently.

 

[dinosaurcrumpet]

no offense, but even know as a 4th year student, when i see 3rd years 'thanking' attendings q 5min, i can see the brown stuff on their noses soo apparently.

But I bet you don't see it when they pretend to like you.

 

[Hurricane]

no offense, but i always wondered why students thanked surgeons at the end of surgeries. ESPECIALLY if they didnt teach the student anything and just had them retract/do work. they should be tahnking you (atleast that's what i've seen good surgeons do).

no offense, but even know as a 4th year student, when i see 3rd years 'thanking' attendings q 5min, i can see the brown stuff on their noses soo apparently.

I wasn't thanking him q 5min to brownnose. I thanked him once at the end, for his time and because he did teach me something, and because it's the polite thing to do. I was brought up to always say please and thank you and sir and ma'am and all that jazz. It's a hard habit to break - maybe it's a southern thing and maybe it's a little out of place up here in the midwest, I dunno. Regardless, biting someone's head off for being polite is rarely warranted.

Usually I get back a simple "you're welcome" or as you said above, they reply by thanking me for retracting or whatever.

Anyway, I wasn't upset so much as amused at this guy who was yelling at me for the terrible offense of saying "thank you." 🙄 If that's all he could find to yell at me about, I guess I did ok.

 

[njbmd]

So most anesthesiologists don't spend 100% of their time charting and looking at the monitors. Most of the anesthesiologists I've worked with spend their time either reading or chatting with the folks in the OR.
But today I was in with an anesthesiologist that spent an hour on his cell phone with some random customer service person, rambling on and on about getting an RMA # to return some electronic thing he bought. I thought it was sort of pushing the limits of etiquette.

So, what is the most obnoxious/questionable thing an anesthesiologist has done in the OR? Let's hear the stories! 😀

Hi there,
One of my attendings at the VA and the anesthesiologist engaged in a "flatus expelling contest". It was gross but funny at the same time.
njbmd 🙂

 

[Blade28]

Don't forget, the attending letting you scrub into the case takes a risk - so it's OK to thank him/her for taking a chance to teach you something. If something goes wrong, they're the one who's ultimately responsible.

 

[Gimlet]

Hi there,
One of my attendings at the VA and the anesthesiologist engaged in a "flatus expelling contest". It was gross but funny at the same time.
njbmd 🙂

That's great! Reminds me of the episode of Scrubs where The Todd has to admit that he farted during surgery so the attending doesn't keep looking for where he nicked the bowel.

Who won, btw?