full cardiac arrest
i worked today and went to a full cardiac arrest code. it's not like this was my first code. since i started my internship, i've had to attend my share of code blues. but this time it was different. this was the first code that i attended and assisted, where the patient didn't make it.
as they continued to administer CPR, my heart kept racing. "come on heart," i thought "beat, dang it. give us a beat..." but the EKG showed no sign of a beat. then i overheard a doctor saying that she had been unconscious too long. "epi!" nurse shouted. trembling i tried to quickly assemble the epinephrine syringe. i knew in the back of my mind that she probably wouldn't make it, yet i kept hoping.
"atropine!" quickly i assembled the syringe for the nurse. "stop CPR. check for rhythm" "start CPR again" why wasn't she waking up?
as i kept watching, they brought her husband into the room. when he saw his wife on the table, he ran over, held her hand, and started to cry. at that point, it took a great deal of strength for me to hold back my tears. it was horrible watching this man crying, stroking her hand, and asking her to wake up. "doctor," the nurse reported. "we used 3 epi's, 2 atropines, thiamine, and solurex" the doctor turned to the husband and told him "its up to God now"
"stop CPR, check for rhythm" we watched the line that the EKG machine was printing out. "oh God!" i heard the husband cry out. then i heard the most aweful words. "we lost her."
as we cleaned up and walked back to the pharmacy, i was still shaking. this experience has left a deep mark that i won't forget.
as they continued to administer CPR, my heart kept racing. "come on heart," i thought "beat, dang it. give us a beat..." but the EKG showed no sign of a beat. then i overheard a doctor saying that she had been unconscious too long. "epi!" nurse shouted. trembling i tried to quickly assemble the epinephrine syringe. i knew in the back of my mind that she probably wouldn't make it, yet i kept hoping.
"atropine!" quickly i assembled the syringe for the nurse. "stop CPR. check for rhythm" "start CPR again" why wasn't she waking up?
as i kept watching, they brought her husband into the room. when he saw his wife on the table, he ran over, held her hand, and started to cry. at that point, it took a great deal of strength for me to hold back my tears. it was horrible watching this man crying, stroking her hand, and asking her to wake up. "doctor," the nurse reported. "we used 3 epi's, 2 atropines, thiamine, and solurex" the doctor turned to the husband and told him "its up to God now"
"stop CPR, check for rhythm" we watched the line that the EKG machine was printing out. "oh God!" i heard the husband cry out. then i heard the most aweful words. "we lost her."
as we cleaned up and walked back to the pharmacy, i was still shaking. this experience has left a deep mark that i won't forget.