Been on hold for hospital volunteering to lend a shoulder for ostomy and/or mobility limited patients. Blood test shows I've had a low grade infection and because of my MRCR infection/sepsis history I was not eligible to start. I had an old surgical wound open up 4 months after healing (2 months ago) and it was spooky to have your gut just split. Doctor (my regular surgeon was on vacation) cauterized it and said go home with antibiotics. Didn't heal so I stop caring and gave up. Dressed it daily and made sure it didn't get bigger (3/4 - 1 inch or so). Saturday morning when changing the dressing a suture came with it. I'm guessing the suture that held the drain tube in. Bad, bad nurse, shame on you. It has started closing since Saturday. Talked to the hospital and they said give it two weeks then take another blood test and I'll probably be good to go.
Now it ain't me trying to kill me it's modern medicine. As a friend always said, "You go to the doctor and then you get sick."Just needed to tell someone because you all are my some ones...

That sounded scary!! I'm glad you're finally healing.

Ted; Sounds like you need a good lawyer. I hear John Edwards is available.

Never go to the hospital! There's sick people there!

My father in law refuses to go to the local hospital. His father did, and (arguably) they killed him slowly over six weeks. His mother had heart problems while his dad was in the hospital; they did enough bad stuff to her in a few hours that the "good" hospital 50 miles away couldn't save her.

Of course, the fact that they were both pushing 90 never comes up.

Ted, I'm glad you're healing. Thanks for volunteering. We need more good citizens like you. Oh, and give the nurse hell, but only if you've never made a mistake at work.

Glad you are doing better.

Time to lawyer up! Seriously, although non-absorbable suture that's inadvertently left in can cause cronic sepsis(which is what I think you are describing) it's not a slam-dunk that was the problem. Subcuticular absorbable sutures don't always go away like they should and the risk of infection can be pretty high under some circumstances. These absorbables can also cause the problem you describe.

If you want the straight scoop, talk to your surgeon. His, or her, op report will have what he used where and how it was used. You may discover in the end that nobody really screwed up.

Best wishes to you to heal and then get started with the volunteering!

You are quite correct that retained suture can cause sepsis and that arsorbables don't always do so.I worked as a OR Nurse in the 15 of my 26 years of nursing.One thing I haven't seen in any OR report I have come across is a suture by suture account of what type of suture was used in each stage of the proceedure and closure.If you have any doubt that the OR team acted appropriately then have a legal team check it out.Glad to here you are better.....God Bless.....Mike

quote:

Originally posted by bk43:
Time to lawyer up! Seriously, although non-absorbable suture that's inadvertently left in can cause cronic sepsis(which is what I think you are describing) it's not a slam-dunk that was the problem. Subcuticular absorbable sutures don't always go away like they should and the risk of infection can be pretty high under some circumstances. These absorbables can also cause the problem you describe.

If you want the straight scoop, talk to your surgeon. His, or her, op report will have what he used where and how it was used. You may discover in the end that nobody really screwed up.

Best wishes to you to heal and then get started with the volunteering!

I have worked as an RN in a hospital. Volunteering in a hospital is, today, like volunteering to work for free in a Ford automotive plant or your local bank.

Hospitals today are FOR PROFIT enterprises. They are not like they used to be 15 years ago. I see how it is nice to help people, but the time/money you so generously give ends up in the pockets of administrators and stockholders.

I would personally rather volunteer in a school.

quote:

Originally posted by Cruiser RN:
One thing I haven't seen in any OR report I have come across is a suture by suture account of what type of suture was used in each stage of the proceedure and closure

This is always in the report which is dictated by the surgeon after the case, usually in the surgeons lounge. It is later transcribed in Medical Records and goes into the patient's record. Ted should be able to get a copy if he'd like to see it. Also, in most hospitals, the circulating nurse will retain the package after they flip a product into the sterile field. They then record the info so what suture was used is there also.

Bob

Ted; Hope they get it right this time. Meantime I'll be praying for you.

Ted, best of luck.

quote:

Originally posted by HOUSTON RICK:
Never go to the hospital!

"Never get off the boat"

Since this came back to the top...
Guys, I don't care that someone had a brain fart. This is a not even a speed bump. Why should I lawyer up to go after people that fought day and night to keep me alive? It just ain't worth it. I might have been a distraction to the RN making my usual inane jokes at the time. Who knows and frankly who cares.