Recently a 45 year old female presented to the Emergency room after having a cardiac arrest. After being taken to Cardiac Catherization Lab to examine her coronary arteries she was transferred to the CCU with little neurological function and barely clinging to life.

When Beth Meehan, RN received this young mother of two, who also served her country in the military reserve, she knew they needed to intervene and try to preserve precious neurologic function. They acted quickly and notified the attending physician to evaluate the patient for a possible "code ice". After examining the patient it was determined that the patient met the criteria for "code ice" and the patient was "cooled" in an attempt to preserve neurological function. The patient remained at a temperature of 33 degrees for twenty four hours while the family sat vigil praying for her recovery. After several days of one to one nursing care the patient was weaned off life support and, much to the pleasure of everyone, was awake and conversing with her family including her two young children ages 10 and 11. Her neurological function was intact and everyone was positive about her road to recovery. It was determined that the patient was in need of a new heart valve but her prognosis was good.

The attending physician was approached and complimented on her decision to cool the patient but she refused to take any credit simply stating that it was the actions of Beth Meehan, RN that deserved all the credit. The physician felt that it was their quick and timely critical assessment of the patient's needs that lead to her decision to implement code ice. Subsequently the patient's neurological function was preserved post cardiac arrest allowing her to survive the arrest with the best possible outcome.

It is with great pleasure that a DAISY award is presented to Beth Meehan,, RN for her excellent critical care assessment skills and strong sense of patient advocacy.