Cards spell out duties of 4 nurses
At Ponte Vedra Plastic Surgery, cards were developed to explain the role of each of four nurses who handle malignant hyperthermia (MH) resuscitation.
Because the facility has rotating staff depending on which surgeon is operating, the cards allow whoever is in the OR to quickly address the crisis, says Kelly Wilson, RN, surgery center administrator. There is a card for a cooling nurse, a medication nurse (who prepares, administers, and records the medications), a circulation nurse, and a dantrolene nurse.
"We would have every possible medical staff report to the area, so we would hopefully have more than the four assigned, but the four would be considered leaders for their assigned duties," Wilson says. The extra personnel who report initially are assigned to help mix and administer dantrolene.
Because it is a freestanding surgery center, the staff members would begin treatment and continue treatment as long as necessary, but as quickly as possible they would transfer the patient to the local hospital, Wilson says. "We do not have a lab on site, so you don't see that on our form," she says.
The cards include the hotline number for the Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States, which is (800) MH HYPER [(800) 644-9737] in the United States and Canada. [Editor's note: A copy of the cards is available. If you need help accessing your online issue, contact customer service at (800) 688-2421 or [email protected].]
At Ponte Vedra Plastic Surgery, cards were developed to explain the role of each of four nurses who handle malignant hyperthermia (MH) resuscitation.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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