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Sun Oct 15 03:51:11 BST 2006

In a message dated 10/14/2006 8:20:38 P.M. Central Standard Time,  
revegg at att.net writes:

I  believe the statement was "Family Presence during a CODE" and yes, this is 
 common practice and one that is favorably accented by family members who 
WISH  to be present, not forced. 

You are correct, but it has been the position of the STN nurses that a  
cardiac arrest CPR code and a EC thoracotomy, tube thoracostomy,  tracheostomy,  
etc. are all the same and all come under the rubric of  "CODE."   The problem 
has been in their use of the word and not  understanding that an operation is an 
operation, and the place of an operation  is an operating room, even if it is 
in the surgical resuscitation area of the  emergency center.     Families 
have NO place  there.   Besides, their presence makes and would make me nervous 
and  jeopardize the best care of the patient and I am sure that the ethicist 
etc.  would not want to create a condition which knowingly would DECREASE the  
patient's chances of survival and having an emergency surgical condition  
reversed.   

k

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