June 2014
At work tonight, I had a patient come in with a common problem that required an uncommon solution. He had prostate problems and required a bladder catheter. Unfortunately, when the urologist performed a procedure earlier that day, something tore and the patient had bleeding into the bladder. If there is sufficient bleeding, it will clot and plug up the catheter and cause bladder distention. Believe me, there are few conditions more uncomfortable than urinary retention. We tried the usual remedies but the bleeding continued and required a continuous irrigation catheter. This requires a particular piece of equipment that is not used very often. Of my crew of nurses, only one had ever done this. Before we found her (she wasn’t assigned to this patient), I asked his nurse if she was familiar with this equipment, she said, “No but we can YouTube it.”
I replied, “Search 3 way stop cock from a work computer? I don’t think you want to do that. There is no telling what will come up in that search.”
We found the knowledgeable nurse to teach the procedure, instead.
Greetings from your grumpy Uncle/Brother Dave.
Weary