A fellow nurse came into work on Christmas Day with a headache that worsened after she arrived at work. Claire took her blood pressure and found it to be elevated. The co-worker sat down and rested but her blood pressure remained elevated. Claire took a patient upstairs from PACU and upon returning to the unit discovered that her co-worker had experienced an episode of nausea/vomiting and was becoming lethargic.
Upon learning this, Claire insisted upon taking her co-worker to the emergency room for evaluation. She placed her on a stretcher and transported her to the ED. Her co-worker became increasingly lethargic. CT scan was ordered, and it was discovered that she had a cerebral hematoma. She was taken to the operating room for evacuation of hematoma and is doing well after her surgery.
Claire has always been a very strong nurse and recognized the symptoms of increased intracranial pressure. We are thankful to have her working in our department.