Bad experience with remicade infusion at Weill Cornell

[moneybanks24]

I'm really appalled at the level of incompetence that my doctor and her staff displayed at Weill Cornell Medical College, which is supposed to be a leader in treating Crohn's Disease. I wanted to tell everyone here to get your thoughts and hopefully ensure that this doesn't happen to someone else.

Today I had my first remicade infusion. From what I have read, the infusion should take 2-3 hours, longer if it is your first dosage. Well...mine took a grand total of 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES. I was not checked on once during that time period to see if I was having a reaction. It is irresponsible, reprehensible and flat out dangerous to administer an intravenous drug to a first time patient at three times the recommended rate.

When I spoke to the nurse she said "as long as it is over an hour it should be fine." She then sent me home.There's two issues here: (1) She genuinely believed that as long as the infusion was over an hour it was okay, which is false (in which case, she probably shouldn't be treating me.) (2) You lied directly to my face knowing how badly you messed up and sent me home to cover the lie up, even though it would have been safe to monitor me to make sure I was okay. That's scary.

The fact that I am being treated by practitioners with this level of ineptitude disturbs me. I'm disgusted the whole situation. The Center at Weill Cornell receives hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding for Crohn's treatments. Let's make sure that funding is in the hands of competent, capable, and altruistic doctors who actually give two ***** about the well being of the people they are treating.

 

[amrycrohns]

I had 2 infusions of remicade before going back to humira and I can tell you both nurse's where a lot less concerned then I was. My experience was slightly different in they started me out slow for a hour then pumped it up pretty quickly. I also recieved 50mg of Bene and some steriod forgot the name incase of a reaction. At the out patient service I go to, they are required to check vitals once every 30 minutes. They made me stay maybe 30 minutes after infusion while I ate my lunch they served. The 2nd infusion was done by a nurse that doesn't usually work in the department and was unfamilar with Remicade.

I wonder if the nurse you had is a bad egg or maybe just overwhelmed by being shorthanded or something, you can ask hospital adminstration about thier policies for giving IV drugs specifically Remicade.

 

[mal-ileus]

I've had iron infusions at Weill Cornell (the last one was at least 5 years ago), and found the staff to be very attentive and very conservative. the first infusion must have taken 6 or 7 hours. the later ones went faster. Maybe they're short-handed these days, but whatever the reason you should definitely complain to the hospital and your doc.

 

[Starlight]

I'd be upset to! While I can understand how it can get over whelming when you are short handed, that's still little excuse for what this nurse did. Remicade is a serious drug. You should always be monitored during it, especially if it's a first treatment when you just don't know how the person will react to it! While maybe, and hopefully this was a one time thing where you just got stuck with a very inexperienced nurse or just an overwhelmed one, it only takes one time for something to go wrong and if you start having a reaction, you may not be able to call out for help, especially if they are not nearby.

When I first started remicade I was actually in the hospital, was started on an emergency basis and my mom( who's a nurse) was with me the entire time. I don't remember my first one at all because of pain meds. My following treatments though I had the slow infusion over 3-4 hours( LONG hours) I have always been premeditated with benadryl, tylonal pills and cortisone( I can't remember the exact drug name) by IV. After my 5th infusion I thnk I got to start the rapid infusion which was nice. It only took 2 hours. Unfortunally since being forced to switch doctors, where I get it at for SOme reason will not do the rapid infusion so the infusions typically last 3-3 1/2 hrs if they are running on time. While the nurse isn't always the best at doing blood pressures often throughout the treatment, she is always nearby ( in sight) where she can see me and I can see her and I can easily tell her something I needed. I'm still premeditated with the same meds, wear a blood pressure cuff the entire treatment and of course temp taken before beginning treatment. I have to wait about 20-30 minutes after infusion finishes as well.

I'd defiantly write a complaint. I hope your next infusion much better handled than this one was!

 

[Suby]

I had a not great experience there, but not anything to do with infusions. I was looking for a new doctor and went to one there. He seemed fantastic but after the first (or maybe second) visit, it was impossible to talk to him or see him because he had a physician's assistant who was his gatekeeper. She was like a steel wall. I might have been OK with the fact that I had to see her for some stuff, but sometimes she didnt return calls (about blood tests, etc.) then, when I was in pain, she prescribed something that my pharmacists said they havent seen in years and they couldnt get. (Tincture of morphine?) I liked the doctor, but that other stuff left a bad taste.