The other night at work was kind of a rough one. The entire hospital is about filled to capacity, our unit being no exception. We have 39 beds. Two rooms were out of commission and the other 37 beds were full. It was crazy. The phones were ringing off the hook, the patient call lights were non-stop and my chart rack was never empty. By 7:00pm I was already tired and still had 4 hours to go. And then, a patient started having problems. Breathing problems. He wasn't getting enough oxygen. Next thing I hear is a Code Blue being called in his room. Crap. That's not good. Everyone starts running around and various people start running in from throughout the hospital. (When a code is called people respond: an ER Dr., pharmacist, respiratory therapist, ICU charge nurse, house supervisor, stat nurses, EKG, etc.) I went and positioned myself outside the room, waiting to do whatever needed to be done.
It was quickly determined that the man wasn't breathing and needed to be intubated (where a breathing tube is put down the throat). Then suddenly his heart either stopped or went into a bad rhythm and they started doing CPR. Seeing CPR done in person is nothing like it looks on TV, let me tell you. It is almost violent; the force that is necessary to artificially pump the heart is astounding. And it is hard work. A person can't do it for very long at the rate and force that is required.
To witness even part of that situation is enough to get your adrenaline flowing, but then I had things to do: order a chest xray, find suction canisters, get towels, get someone to locate a Doppler, run down two flights of stairs and to the other side of the hospital to retrieve blood and then take it back. And all of this done with a very real sense of life or death.
This isn't the first Code that I've witnessed and probably won't be the last. I'm always in awe when I witness the teamwork and orchestration that goes into saving a life. Everybody knows exactly what to do, how and when to do it. I realize that the techniques and knowledge required are learned skills, but to have the confidence, the fortitude and the tenacity to carry those skills out in such a high-pressure situation....wow. Honestly, I think they're heroes. It really is such an honor and a privilege to work with such people. I truly believe they're doing the work of the angels.
It was quickly determined that the man wasn't breathing and needed to be intubated (where a breathing tube is put down the throat). Then suddenly his heart either stopped or went into a bad rhythm and they started doing CPR. Seeing CPR done in person is nothing like it looks on TV, let me tell you. It is almost violent; the force that is necessary to artificially pump the heart is astounding. And it is hard work. A person can't do it for very long at the rate and force that is required.
To witness even part of that situation is enough to get your adrenaline flowing, but then I had things to do: order a chest xray, find suction canisters, get towels, get someone to locate a Doppler, run down two flights of stairs and to the other side of the hospital to retrieve blood and then take it back. And all of this done with a very real sense of life or death.
This isn't the first Code that I've witnessed and probably won't be the last. I'm always in awe when I witness the teamwork and orchestration that goes into saving a life. Everybody knows exactly what to do, how and when to do it. I realize that the techniques and knowledge required are learned skills, but to have the confidence, the fortitude and the tenacity to carry those skills out in such a high-pressure situation....wow. Honestly, I think they're heroes. It really is such an honor and a privilege to work with such people. I truly believe they're doing the work of the angels.
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