Cindy
Friez
October 2011
Cindy
Friez
,
RN
Critical Care Unit
Sanford USD Medical Center
Sioux Falls
,
SD
United States
There was a code on 600 today. Patient’s heart rate was asystole and then bradycardic, Epi/Atropine were given and the patient’s HR came back up into ST. The doctor running the code yelled out to give Amio. Cindy immediately questioned this order and had the courage to ask, “Why?” When nobody else said anything, she kept asking why. Why would we give Amio? No Amio ended up being given. The doctor then suggested Adenosine. Once again Cindy spoke up and said, “Why would we give Adenosine? I don’t think we should give that. Does anybody else disagree with giving Adenosine?” Others then spoke up and agreed with Cindy. No Adenosine was given and the patient’s HR came down to NSR. Thanks to Cindy’s knowledge base and courage to speak up and take action in an intense situation, the patient was saved from possible future harm due to unnecessary medications.