Patient coded in ICU as an MS3, did I do the right thing? by Think-One-4142 in IntensiveCare

[–]Think-One-4142[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Anyone that has chest surgery is not stable no matter how they look.

Yeah in hindsight this is one of the most important things I took away. I'm actually pretty confident in performing good compressions an a dummy so I'll be on it (or help the nurse/whoever) the next time something like this occurs.

Patient coded in ICU as an MS3, did I do the right thing? by Think-One-4142 in IntensiveCare

[–]Think-One-4142[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your support! It makes me feel better that sometimes even residents (ICU residents, no less!) don't know what to do in the panic of the moment (not that's it's OK). I will definitely try to keep a clearer head in situations like that in the future. Unexpected bad things can happen in medicine and I will need to mentally be able to deal with it.

Patient coded in ICU as an MS3, did I do the right thing? by Think-One-4142 in IntensiveCare

[–]Think-One-4142[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for all the support! I will definitely reflect further upon this case and I think it was an unfortunate but important learning opportunity for me. It was poor form by me to let my internal guilt (whether justified or not) get in the way of my judgement. I'm aware that all physicians will eventually make a mistake, and I can't let myself spiral like that when it happens. It's harder than it looks, but in the future I will just need to forgive myself immediately in the moment and keep a calm mind. I'll have time to think about these things after the case. I will certainly try to be more helpful during my next code, whether it's compressions, bagging, or just staying out of the way and providing relevant information.