Linda's exceptional nursing care is observed on a daily basis. She is not a person that "toots her own horn", but many patients and staff recognize her compassion, expertise and professionalism. Her nursing commitment is quiet but strong.
Linda provides exceptional nursing care each and every day, being attentive and having an astute assessment of her patients. Two specific instances were shared where her keen assessment was critical to positive patient outcomes.
1. A postop patient developed a severe lower limb ischemia with little pain secondary to neuropathy. Without pain complaints, the cardiovascular nurse coordinator would have had no reason to remove TED hose and inspect the legs, but Linda called to her attention, the cool extremity. She was not able to locate Doppler pulses, so she contacted the surgeon, and a vascular consult led to a timely angiography and subsequent thrombectomy. The patient was at risk of losing her leg, but Linda's assessment and prompt notification of the surgery team, shaped a positive outcome.
2. A pre-op patient with non-specific forgetfulness and odd behavior had a rather subtle change in affect and behavior. The cardiovascular nurse coordinator could not detect any deficits on a neuro exam and reported her concern to the surgeon who did not feel it was significant. Linda felt strongly that the patient did have an acute change in neuro status and reiterated her concerns several times. Her persistence led to a head CT scan, which revealed an acute cerebral hemorrhage, later indicated as a complication of the patient's cardiac cath. Open heart surgery was canceled, avoiding a possibly life-threatening exacerbation of cerebral hemorrhage from anticoagulation for cardiopulmary bypass.