Marina had a 92-year-old patient who was the primary caretaker for his wife. He was admitted for bradycardia and was found to be a second-degree heart block. The patient's heart rate was in the 20s and the patient was intermittently symptomatic. The patient was not on the list to go to the cath lab to get a pacemaker. Marina called down to the cath lab to get him on the schedule. Had she not called, he could have potentially been missed and pushed back until the next day.
Cath lab put him on the schedule for 1100. Marina was not okay with this as her patient was not feeling well. Marina called down to cath lab several times to express the severity of this case and the need to get this patient in sooner. The patient started going in and out of third degree at this point in time, and due to Marina's dedication and consistency, cath lab finally pushed the pacer case up sooner and came to get the patient immediately. Her persistence allowed this gentleman to get the pacer he needed and get well enough to be with his wife.
The wife was very concerned throughout the process, but Marina did a great job in making sure she kept the wife involved the entire time. The wife was extremely thankful to have Marina as his nurse. The patient and family said they couldn't have asked for a better nurse. This is not the first time I have heard this about Marina. She is an amazing patient advocate and makes a huge difference in the people she interacts with every day.