It is with great pleasure that I relay a message to all of you from a grateful patient. While rounding tonight I ran into a patient and her husband who were ambulating in the hallway. I was so happy to see this patient doing so well, as she presented the other night as a true obstetrical emergency, who was critically ill. To make a very long story short, she arrived to Labor and Delivery at 0630 in the morning, very close to the end of our shift. Not knowing it at the time, the patient came in with a ruptured uterus secondary to an erupted placenta. (This is an event that many people do not survive).

Thanks to the expert knowledge and astute assessment skills of Ana Cabrera, RN, the patient's signs and symptoms were immediately recognized as grave. She did not delay in involving her PCS, Tammy Alvarez, RN and co-worker Juan Gonima in the care of this patient, giving her the best possible chance of a positive outcome. A Code Rescue was called, and within minutes, it was determined the patient needed to go to the ICU where she could be stabilized until the doctor could come in and take her to the OR. Ana, Tammy, Juan, and all of the staff in L&D kept their cool, knew exactly what to do, and handled the situation like true professionals. It was really impressive to watch them in action.

As soon as we arrived with the patient to the ICU, it was evident that she was going to need blood transfusions. Much to all of our amazement Ana Cabrera, RN had already obtained the consents for blood and filled out all of the necessary paperwork needed. The patient received her blood without any delay. The e-ICU doctor needed information on the patient, and Ana gave a professional, detailed report. It was her expertise about this patient and the unborn baby that guided us through the code. The time was running well past Ana's shift, but she did not leave the patient's side.

The message from the patient last night was this:

"Please tell the nurses that took care of me during the code, that when I was crying, it was not because of my situation, or the pain that I was in. It was because I was overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation for all that they were doing for me. I was scared, but I knew that I was in the right hands. There are angels that work in this hospital, and I know that my baby and I are alive today because of them".

Wow; that just about says it all. Thanks so much for all that you do every day. I am so proud to work with you!!