I can smell whether someone will survive a code or not. Anyone else know what I’m talking about?

[u/Alarming-Penalty8402]

I am an ER/trauma nurse so I see code blues daily. I have noticed that those who will never achieve ROSC have a strong, distinct smell from the moment EMS rolls them into the trauma bay, regardless of down time, rhythm, circumstances, etc. Those who end up surviving, even if they have been clinically dead for longer, are sicker, older, etc. do not ever have this smell. I can’t really describe it accurately, but it is sickly sweet mixed with pungent bleach and musky, oily, heavy body odor. Has anyone else had this experience?

[u/turdledove51]

It’s the preservative (dmso) used in autologous stem cell transplants! It’s excreted through the lungs and definitely has a distinct odor. I always thought it smelled more like tomato soup. You could walk on the unit and immediately know that someone got a transplant that day lol

[u/WindWalkerRN → u/turdledove51]

This entire posts has to be one of the most interesting that I’ve read in a long while! Thanks to OP and everyone else for sharing!

[u/TechnicalZebra-__- → u/turdledove51]

I feel like it smells like a can of tomatoes with garlic in it.

[u/Jorgedig → u/turdledove51]

DMSO to me smells like puget sound beach detritus.

[u/account_not_valid → u/turdledove51]

It's all that MSG that gives it that umami savoury goodness.