My husband was recently admitted to Penrose Hospital for minor surgery that turned out to be more than minor. During his time in recovery, his blood pressure dropped to an unsafe level. Had it not been for the quick care of the nurses around him and a doctor, he may not have survived that dangerous condition. We would like to thank Ann, she deserves our thanks and a "pat on the back" for offering great nursing care. Thank you!
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The PACU received the following thank you note today, along with three boxes of chocolates from the patient's wife: "Dear Ladies, Surgery is like a box of chocolates—you never know what you might get. But with great nurses to care for us, we are grateful!! Thank you all for being there last night for my husband."
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The patient was in for an outpatient urology procedure. He developed a clot and had to be placed on continuous bladder irrigation. He remained in the PACU for over 6 hours before he was transferred to the ICU for care. During this time, Ann maintained her charge responsibilities, answered well over 50 phone calls, managed the bladder irrigation with bleeding from the patient, low blood pressure and high heart rate problems (hypovolemia), a near-code situation, while keeping the flow of the unit maintained. The PACU had over 40 patients through the department, holding at least 6 patients at one time during the day. She remained empathetic, caring and diligent in her patient's care, kept the patient's wife well informed and led the team to a successful end of the day.