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A Peek at Cardiac Care Nursing

Featured Author:

Brittney Wilson, RN

Brittney Wilson is a Registered Nurse with a passion for technology and innovation. As the resident nerd and nurse at TheNerdyNurse.com, she has the desire to inspire nurses to get excited about technology and the ways it can improve patient care. She is also currently a Senior Editor at MyRealityTech.com, and makes contributions to various other healthcare and technology blogs. Be sure to follow her on Twitter! A former victim of lateral violence, Brittney believes that nurses must support each other in order to progress professionally. 

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“If you need anything for pain, please let me know. Make sure you keep lying flat, and don’t move your leg Sir. If there is anything you need, I’ll be right outside.” I said pleased with a successful, stress-free admission of a fresh Cardiac Patient with 2 stents. A young man with no health history, aside from being a frequent smoker, admitted for what he thought was stomach upset and indigestion has just has his world rocked, his life saved, and his heart opened by the miracles of modern medicine. The admission assessment completed, he was still in a daze of Versed as he laid with the knowledge of his heart attack and life-saving interventions.

“I’m fine. Thank you”, he said, as I walked the 10 steps from his bed outside the door.

“OH SHIT. BED 6 is in V-FIB”.

I pause in my transition from standing to sitting. “What?” The words didn’t compute to me. “Bed 6?”, I thought, “Why does that sound so familiar to me?” “Why is this lady running in my patients room in a frenzy?”

After what seemed like an eternity of puzzlement on my behalf, I realized by the term Bed 6 sounded so familiar to me. It was my patient. My fresh cath, heart was quivering, he was unresponsive and his eyes were rolled back in his head.

“SOMEBODY THUMP HIM”, the nurse yelled, as she turned around and started to leave the room. “OH SHIT, GET THE CODE CART.” She stopped, turned around and took her petite right hand, clenched it tightly, and with passion and knowhow, forcefully placed it directly in the center of his chest. His heart reacted, for a few seconds the beats appeared to stabilize, and then again, V-Fib.

“You call that a thump?” An dry, witty nurse steps in, and amidst laughter and the occasional profanity the ballet that is a Code in the CCU began to play out in front of me. These nurses stepped in, stepped up, and did what they do best.