WMH - ICU stories

Yesterday I saw a patient in ICU who had returned from surgery for placement of a PD cath and perma-cath. When we entered the room he was on dialysis. The nurse in the room took ~30 minutes explaining how everything is connected. She also stated that to receive a PD cath you have to "be approved" because you have to have a sterile room in your home specifically for dialysis. She also stated that patients can now actually do hemodialysis at home! They have their own HD machine and water purifying machine. The pt (or family member, friend, etc) draws their own blood for labs, monthly. Their diets are not as strict because they can do HD everyday. The pt & support person have to attend a training and again, the home has to be "approved" by a social worker.

There was another pt in ICU who overdosed on Goody's BC powder (for those of you who may be unfamiliar - it is basically aspirin in powder form with a lot of caffeine). He is a former meth addict who weaned himself from meth by becoming addicted to Goody's.

This week 2 pts codes were changed to CMO (Comfort Measures Only). One pt is 90 and had a MI while shopping in Wal-Mart (the pt had driven herself there and had the MI while paying for her items). The other pt has been in ICU for a while but had a state appointed social worker as guardian. He was found unresponsive in his wheel chair at a nursing home. Doctors had to track down the SW to get approval to change the code.

A happy ending ICU story: One pt had been in ICU since March. Doctors said the pt would not make it. I first saw the pt 2 wks ago & he was nonresponsive. Monday he was no longer in ICU and when the RD I was shadowing starting asking him questions, he was very responsive. Today he was walking down the hall with aid of walker and they are waiting to secure a room for him at a nursing home to release him sometime next week.