Sometimes nurses have to get creative. Let me rephrase that very creative. One morning an unconscious man arrived in the ER, a present from the EMTs. From the looks and smells of him he was likely homeless.
In our ER we have standing orders so that the nurses can get the ball rolling.
A couple of nurses and a tech immediately undress this gentleman, triage info is gathered, a finger stick completed, IV lines in, labs drawn. The final thing needed was a urine.
This of course would require a straight cath due to his unconscious state.
One of my co-workers attempted to insert a foley, it was unsuccessful. She attempted another sized foley, but was unsuccessful again. She came over to the nurses station shaking her head and asked for some assistance, her face was flushed.
While the foley fringe was not the issue the length apparently was. This gentleman was not of average size.
After a few attempts and a run to the supply room, we enlisted input from one of our attending physicians, and that's when the brainstorming came to a solution.
Our solution was a NG tube! A successful cath complete UDS and UA sent to the lab.
Nurses, we're a creative lot aren't we!
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