A patient presented to us post-op from an ex lap after having a small bowel obstruction. The patient was requiring 15L nonrebreather face mask to maintain an 02 saturation of 88-90%. The patient was otherwise healthy except needing a hernia repair which she had done a few days prior at an outpatient clinic and was discharged home with no problem. She was then subsequently brought in by paramedics to our ER and required oxygen support. She sat on the floor for two days before undergoing surgery for her small bowel obstruction. She was only managed by surgery, not medicine. Her oxygen demands had increased preoperatively but no one took a chest x-ray or drew an ABG or documented any interventions like incentive spirometry.
Kaila immediately recognized postoperatively this patient was not doing well and it was very curious how high her oxygen demands were. Kaila pushed the surgeon to have MOD consult. Kaila pushed anesthesia to continue to come to the bedside and assess the patient. The patient eventually, after MOD consult and labs and CT was found to have a HUGE saddle PE which could have killed her.
Kaila continuously spent time at bedside calming the patient and family and making sure they were well cared for. She was highly involved in interventions and making sure the patient and family felt well supported. I have no doubt if Kaila had not intervened in care for this patient, the patient could have died.
On a daily basis, Kaila maintains professional relationships with the anesthesiologists and surgeons as well as other charges and managers of units throughout the hospital. Everyone knows her name, everyone knows she's incredibly pleasant and everyone looks forward to being around her.
Kaila puts patients and families first. She is the epitome of family-centered care. Kaila's compassion is brought forth in every interaction she has with patients. She literally treats each individual with the same amount of respect and care as the last.