Help- DIS Nurses

[Louise-Montreal]

I have a questions for nurses- My mom had a carotid endarterectomy on Thursday. I was told she could probably go home Friday or Saturday. However her blood pressure is extremely low and they want to keep her in until her blood pressure is higher. One of the things they said they need to do to raise her blood pressure is to keep her well hydrated. She was on an IV. Her IV slipped out (or whatever IV's do) and the nurse was supposed to fix it. We waited for well over 1/2 hour for the nurse to come.

When I asked the nurse to come she told me it was not an emergency and if it was someone would have come. We then waited another 1/2 hour before she finally came.

My question - dear nurses- am I wrong to be upset?? Is that standard procedure that she can go without hydration for over an hour and it is not a problem? Even though the whole reason she has to stay longer is because she has low blood pressure- and what is supposed to raise it is not being done???

 

[Breezy_Carol]

I am not a nurse but a physical therapist. You do not get hydration only from IVs unless you can't take anything by mouth. She can drink water or other beverages to increase her hydration. Not sure what was in the IV but if only for hydration, I don't think it would be considered an emergency to replace. They should have explained it better though.

 

[jaminmd]

I have a questions for nurses- My mom had a carotid endarterectomy on Thursday. I was told she could probably go home Friday or Saturday. However her blood pressure is extremely low and they want to keep her in until her blood pressure is higher. One of the things they said they need to do to raise her blood pressure is to keep her well hydrated. She was on an IV. Her IV slipped out (or whatever IV's do) and the nurse was supposed to fix it. We waited for well over 1/2 hour for the nurse to come.

When I asked the nurse to come she told me it was not an emergency and if it was someone would have come. We then waited another 1/2 hour before she finally came.

My question - dear nurses- am I wrong to be upset?? Is that standard procedure that she can go without hydration for over an hour and it is not a problem? Even though the whole reason she has to stay longer is because she has low blood pressure- and what is supposed to raise it is not being done???

The answer is: it depends. Honestly, unless she needed emergency fluid resuscitation, an hour isn't a long time for her IV to be out. Is she still in an ICU on a monitor?

It is stressful for families, but 1 hour in hospital time for an IV to be out is not unreasonable.

 

[monkey68]

Was your mom able to drink water during that time? Like others said, unless there was some sort of emergent situation that needed fluids or another emergent reason for an IV access, she was OK for the hour. I know it's hard with your family in the hospital, but bear in mind that hospitals aren't always a "first come, first serve". Sicker patients need to take priority, and it's also possible an emergency came up, or even that the nurse needed to finish dispensing meds before she could get to your mom.

 

[Disney Doll]

I would not consider 1 hour without an IV to be neglectful, especially if she was generally otherwise OK and able to drink. Even without being able to drink, chances are they weren't running the IV any faster than 250cc/hour, which is the equivalent of about a cup of water, so missing an hour is not any great shakes.

I will say that generally if I know I am going to be delayed in doing something for a patient, I try say " I am in the midst of _____ and will be in as soon as I can, but it may take me a while" so the patient doesn't think you are ignoring them or don't care or whatever. I have always been of the mindset that, as nurses, if we just tell people what's going on (within the confines of HIPAA), most people are quite understanding of the challenges we face in prioritizing our work day.

 

[lsyorke]

An hour for an IV restart...pretty average time, depending on what is going on in the unit at that time. No, going without IV fluids for an hour isn't going to harm someone. Like other said, a glass of water would have accomplished the same thing as the IV fluids.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

It's hard to hear that "your needs aren't an emergency". It should have been explained better. But when stressed, sometimes things don't come out right.

What she should have said was, "I'll be in to put it in as soon as I can, but right now I'm in the middle of XYZ. It's ok to be without it for a little while. Make sure your Mom has something to drink and encourage her to drink it in the meantime".

 

[rkandmjsmommy]

I agree with everyone who posted, and hour isnt too long, but I understand feeling the way you feel, it should have been explained better to you
hoping your moms comes home soon

 

[Louise-Montreal]

Thanks everyone! I guess I cannot be annoyed with the nurse then. It is really hard when you are a control freak and things are not in your control.

Thanks to all the wonderful nurses!!

 

[jfoofj]

Not a nurse, I am a respiratory therapist, but I work in a very busy surgical ICU. That wait time in a non-emergent situation, while less than ideal, is pretty common. There is usually an IV team within the the hosptial where I work and they can be anywhere within the 7 ICU's (including a very busy pedi ICU), and a ton of floors at anytime. The patients that they go to are based on level the patients level of need.... did they lose the IV that they are getting a medication that is currently keeping them alive? Are they in a critical situation? I know when your family member is in the hospital they are the most important patient to you (and believe me, I am the same way when I have a family member in the hospital) but the staff is trained to decide who gets what based on the patients current status, not who is next in line. Just know that if your family memeber was the sickest patient, they would be the one who the IV team ran to and someone else who lost their IV would be waiting.

I hope your mom feels better soon!

 

[laurie31]

I agree with everyone else. An hour is about average. When I first started reading, I was expecting you to say it took six hours or something. Just an hour or two is not a big deal. I know it seemed like a long time to you.

I agree that they could have explained it better, then you wouldn't have worried.

Where I work, we have an IV nurse that staff can call if they either can't start the IV or don't have time to start the IV, and I am the one who sends this person out. I got 4 calls for her within 5 minutes on Monday. If you consider how long it takes to get from say the 2nd floor to the 7th floor, gather the supplies, look for a vein, and then actually place the IV, it can take 15-20 mins or more just for one start. I sent her first to the patient who lost their IV in the middle of a blood transfusion. Then she went to a dehydrated 2 year old. Next was a cancer patient who needed nausea meds, and finally, the patient who had hydration fluids. My guess is, that patient waited closer to 2 hours for their IV. Hopefully their nurse told them that she had called someone and they were coming as quickly as possible. We forget that while we're running around doing everything as fast as we can, the time is passing much slower for the patient and family who are waiting.

I hope your mom is better soon.