Table 11 Case illustration: other OR challenges

James O'Hara (the last name is fictional) was three days old. On his first day of life, he had developed cyanosis and heart failure, and was diagnosed as having hypoplastic left heart syndrome. (…)

My role as surgical liaison nurse includes letting the family know how the surgery is going and to provide emotional support. The surgeon asked the OR nurse to have me tell the parents the baby was having a problem, and I did so. Soon, I had to deliver more bad news- that nothing was working, that despite the OR team's best efforts, James probably wouldn't survive the operation. The child's parents and maternal grandmother reacted as might be expected- crying, praying, and holding each other. Clearly, they understood the gravity of the situation. His mother pleaded to be allowed into the OR to say goodbye to James while he was still alive. I explained that he was under deep anesthesia, that his chest was open, that there were IV lines everywhere. She said she understood but felt compelled to be with her baby. (…)

I knew that when a patient does die in the OR, the staff is under tremendous stress. Each team member feels a sense of responsibility. To let Ms. O'Hara enter the OR, with no preparation or planning, would have been unbearable for the staff, I thought.

Fina [121]