Cardiac Catheterization Lab Experience

Although you don’t have to be given anything,it is standard operating procedure in the US to be given “conscious sedation”.  Having done my research, I have found a lot of other countries don’t require “conscious sedation.”  We all know that “conscious sedation” is more or less a zombie state that enables them to control you without you remembering much of what happened.  There is really not pain with a cath but rather pressure from the insertion of the different devices such as sheaths.  They say they use painkillers as they don’t want the patient to feel any pain but that was a lie in this case.  I’ll explain later.  They also  used lidocaine to numb one of my husband’s groins but not the other according to the medical records.  The use of lidocaine is probably all that is necessary.  Here is my husband’s story as he was allowed to remember:

He began feeling funny during his ambulance transport.  Once they landed, he felt as though he was floating above and watching what was going on.  He remembers that no one from the hospital from hell was there to greet him- the captive- and his jailers.  They finally flagged down a nurse getting into her car in a parking lot and she badged them in.  They wondered the hall until they finally found some people who directed them to the cath lab.  The ambulance jailers (I call them this as they gave him fentanyl w/o his knowledge and against what he had stated he wanted done) transferred him directly to the cold, metal cath lab table.  He remembers no Informed Consent being given although they say in him medical records that they went through the whole thing.  They say in his medical records multiple times that he was alert to person, place/event, and time.  If this was the case, why wasn’t the Informed Consent signed by him.  Why was it signed by 2 of the heifers 5 minutes after one of the heifers entered it onto the computer systems saying it had been done when in reality, it wasn’t done or signed.  They said it was an emergency and that he had verbally given his approval.  The doctor signature is unreadable and has no date or time.  He was drugged and at that point would have say “yes” anything when prompted correctly.  I am quite sure that are aware of how fentanyl makes a patient react and adjust their questions accordingly.  That is why they like them to have fentanyl prior to arrival as it makes them compliant and unable to think, question, or resist.  The 4 women rn heifers started readying him for what he didn’t know during the time supposedly they were getting Informed Consent.  Informed Consent should be done free from pressure and coercion but apparently laying naked on the procedure table being readied for a procedure you need to give consent to is acceptable to them but confusing to a drugged and intimidating to a opiate drugged individual.  Immediately upon arrival, they stripped him of his clothes without asking or even giving him the chance to do it himself.  They stuffed his clothes into a pink garbage bag (pink is kind of symbolic of the abuse of power by these female heifers–the cath lab is a world ran by women).  They left him naked without a gown or blanket, exposed to a room of people.  How can one give Informed Consent naked, exposed, and drugged?  I know how he is when he has drugs a lot less stronger than fentanyl so I know he was in no position to comprehend or give legal binding consent.  At this point, they were going to make sure he had not totally wasted their Saturday night by being called in and he choosing another method.

He remembers seeing people standing around (the 3 ambulance jailers stayed and watched for awhile as apparently they need to watch their patients when they are naked) and others coming and going.  He remembers hearing some of them talking but he doesn’t remember anyone talking to him.  He remembers one female voice in a mask telling him she was going to shave him.  He wondered why but wasn’t able to vocalize his question as the drugs had done what they intended–to make him cooperative, compliant, and not a problem.  In other words, no patient questions or participation allowed.  She shaved his whole pubic region and thighs not just the little area as described in most cath lab sites.  They also did not cover his penis up from their exposure.  No thought about allowing him his dignity because he was just an object not a human with feelings or considerations.  Most cath labs say in their literature that they respect the patient’s privacy but this also was not the case.  They use drugs such as Versed that erases most memories so they don’t have to respect the patient.  He stay exposed until they finally draped him around for the procedure.  He was probably exposed for around 30 minutes if you judge by the medical records when it actually listed the draping.  He remembers how cold he was and how upset he was that he was exposed without thought to his bodily privacy.  He felt humiliated.  However, the fentanyl had done its job and rendered his thoughts just that–he was unable to find his voice or the energy to resist. 

He remembers the pressure of the sheath insertions but says it did not hurt although the bruises on both groins and his thighs said otherwise.  I have never seen such blackness and the area was about 12 inches in diameter on both groins w/ hard lumps that are still present months afterwards.  He said he was scared, alone, and wondering why and what was happening.  No one communicated or comforted him.  The put 2 more IVs in him so he had a total of 4–2 in each bend of his elbows.  Hospital from hell did not note their IV insertions but the perverted nurse signed that she was present at the original hospital when they inserted it (no–just another lie from her).  He remembers wondering if I had okayed what was happening to him but I hadn’t.  He remembers wanting to see me but couldn’t form the words to ask.  He remembers being scared and cold until he finally started trembling violently.  He remembers seeing the screen of his heart and wondering what was going on.

He remembers after the dr. was gone still laying on the cath table (he laid there for about 50 minutes after the procedure ended according to MRs).  He remembers once again that he was laying there naked, exposed, and cold.  He remembers a female heifer voice telling him they were going to do some suturing and it would hurt a lot.  (Remember their reasoning for conscious sedation is for the patient to feel no pain–well that’s a big lie.)  He remembers even in his fog, how badly the suturing of 3 areas hurt.  They chose not to use any numbing agent as they for some reason wanted it to hurt.  Maybe because as the doctor told me, they really resented being there on a Saturday night.  (So remember that you should schedule having a heart attack during weekday hours.)  He remembers eventually being transferred, still naked, to a gurney.  He remembers them throwing a gown and then a blanket over him.  He remembers them telling him he would get to see his family shortly.  That too was a lie as it wasn’t until well over 2 hours later that we finally flagged down someone so we could find out what had happened to him.  They apparently didn’t care about his mental well being either. 

By the way heifer is the nicest term I can consistently call these RNs.  Because of the Versed and fentanyl, his memories are limited.  He did hypnosis sessions that helped him regain these.  The sessions were very traumatic for him and me but he and I needed answers.  The hypnotist was very careful as to not suggest things to him but rather let him tell his story at his own pace.

Now I know that some may have issues with this story.  We have issues with this story as it is what happened to my husband.   This story should never have happened to him.  I want to tell this story to others because I want them to be aware of what can happen.  This may be the exception to the rule or this may happen more often than we realize.  I don’t know but I do know it can and did happen so everyone should be aware.  We weren’t and this is the result.  Mistreatment, abuse, and the lack of Informed Consent.  Everytime I think or tell this story, I cry because these medical things were so cruel, abusive, and violating to especially my husband.  What I suffered pales in comparison.  The drugs weren’t necessary as he is a big boy and if he had been allowed to exercise his basic human right to freedom to choose his treatment, he would have been okay w/o the drugs.  

He will never be the same again because of what they did to him physically and emotionally.  He had a procedure done without his consent.  The cath lab RNs were abusive, sexually inappropriate, and had a total lack of compassion for him.  If he had been female, this type of over exposure would not have happened.  If he had been female patient, then that female patient would not have been left alone and drugged with 4 male RNs.  They would have kept a female covered up.  I might mention that the transferring hospital sent paperwork to this large Catholic hospital that my husband was gay by stating his spouse was a “husband.”  This may be what prompted him receiving this violative and abusive treatment.  Or it could be that some female nurses like to torture and control especially older males for some sort of issue they suffer from emotionally.

I will say that having seem pictures of some of these heifers, they look like to me they could have issues with me.  One of them, the scrub, when I saw her had the most unpleasant, ugly expression on her overly made-up face.  Her face could launch a thousand nightmares.  If you think I am being unkind, it was earned by them so I will not apologize or even feel somewhat bad about my personal remarks.  They don’t deserve any humanity as they give none in their care.