As a home health nurse went to new patient to apply wound vac to sternum wound. When I took wound vac off , I could see heart muscles moving , was very scary to put wound vac thinking that I may damage heart .
I was working night shift on med/surg. My patients shared a room and as I was caring for one, I noted that the other developed a cough. Asking how long she had the cough, she said about five minutes. I listened to you lung sounds and heard some tales and determined that she probably needed some Lasix so I went to the nurses station and called the ED physician (we didn't have a in-house doc. I went back to the patient who was pale, diaphoretic and struggling to breathe. Everything happened so fast bottom line...flash pulmonary edema. I really beat myself up thinking I did something wrong, but this patient literally has no heart left and she did the same thing multiple times. It was ICU, PCU,MED/SURG over and over.
I would have to say having to care for a patient who had undergone Radical Neck surgery for cancer, and having to perform trach care as entire side of patients face was left open. I felt like this prepared me to take care of other patients because this patient required multiple treatments and lots of reassurance.
Shorthly after being a new nurse I transported a patient from RWJ University Hospital to Mt Sinai in NYC for second bypass surgery. I rode with an ambulance service and the patient.n I remember wondering if could handle it and then having quality time with the patient and feeling more confident.
