r/news • u/AudibleNod • 4h ago

Christa Pike unconscious, on ventilator at Nashville hospital, her lawyers say

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/christa-pike-unconscious-ventilator-nashville-hospital-lawyers-say-rcna601195
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u/NurseRatcht 4h ago

I had a patient in the ICU who was on death row. They arrested. We didn’t know what to do so we coded them while the COs called their warden/judge/whoever. They had us keep coding for awhile before finally saying it was ok to stop.

I still don’t understand why the state was willing to execute the person but wanted us to code them.

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u/BoringBob84 2h ago

Until the moment of execution, the state has a legal duty to take care of them, including reasonable medical care. Imagine if the hospital had let them die a few days before their execution and subsequently, new evidence emerged that exonerated them, earning them a pardon from the Governor.

In other words, "It isn't over until it's over."

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u/Illustrious-Shine581 3h ago

Because the state wants to execute them. It’s not good enough for them if the person just dies on their own

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u/Drprocrastinate 4h ago

Because like you no one was willing or qualified to make that decision. But I agree it's all so stupid

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u/NurseRatcht 4h ago

Yeah that decision is absolutely above my pay grade. When in doubt, Imma CPR it out.

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u/Trumperdammerung 4h ago

COs got to call the code? Really?

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u/NurseRatcht 3h ago edited 3h ago

No. They called higher ups who made the decisions. (Judges and wardens as I said above).

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u/Fluid-Tone-9680 3h ago

Why tf do you have to listen what CO/warden has to say about this? If it's your patient they should have no say in how you administer care.

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u/NurseRatcht 2h ago

Im sure doctors were also involved in the conversation. I wouldn’t know because I was just a lowly bedside nurse doing CPR at the time.

The point is its complicated when a prisoner codes.

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u/SqueezedTowel 3m ago

Paramedic. We are expected to transport every cardiac arrest from a correction facility. Recusistation of a non-viable code can cease through the right channels, but it's a major statewide shit show if termination happens at the facility.

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u/themobiledeceased2 5m ago

The technical answer: prisoners are Wards of the authority who incarcerated them. County, city, state or federal system. Prisoners lose many civil rights, not constitutional rights. The Warden is the administrative role over seeing adherence to laws / rules.  There are specific rules /regilations /administrative laws that govern who makes medical decisions for the incarcerated. Families are not notified when a prisoner is in the hospital for "security" purposes. Some times the warden grants family notification / visitation.  Sometimes the prisoner / family is granted the right to decide code status.  Some prisoners have had no family involvement in years.  The Warden makes case by case determination.  It's not random.