Marisa Bellucci
February 2021
Marisa
Bellucci
,
RN, CCRN
CCU
Morristown Medical Center
Marisa's efforts yesterday did not go unnoticed. She gave her patient, her last moments of life with dignity and compassion.
I would like to take the time to acknowledge Marisa Bellucci for her amazing efforts yesterday in CCU. One of her past patients who had COVID was readmitted for complications and needed to be intubated. Marisa had the patient for the past two days and was able to get the patient off the ventilator and communicate with her. Overnight there was a turn of events where the patient started to lose blood flow to her legs and feet. Marisa quickly prepared for an emergent MRI of the spine, Marisa was always comforting the patient and trying to ease her pain through therapeutic communication and reassuring her she was taking great care of her. The doctors believed that her ischemia was related to her history of COVID, and this was a severe complication that can occur due to spinal cord ischemia/compression.
After returning from the long MRI, she settled the patient back into her specialty bed, which Marisa also made sure she obtained for the patient after complaints of a sore bottom. The patient's daughter arrived and after seeing how much her mother was suffering, Marisa offered her a chair to sit on and listened to the daughter as she was crying, and Marisa consoled her. Marisa was able to reach out to the medical staff in the unit and with the help and team communication, the medical team was able to make this patient a DNR/DNI-B, so the wishes of the patient/daughter would be honored by the staff. Not even a couple of hours later, the patient passed away.
If it wasn't for the extra mile and efforts of Marisa Bellucci for going above and beyond, the staff would have applied emergency procedures to the patient and inevitably prolonged the patient's suffering. The daughter was able to be by her side and say her goodbyes to her mother in peace with no more suffering. In a critical care setting, it is sometimes difficult to be able to manage a critical patient and then also console and reassure a family member at the bedside. Marisa's efforts yesterday did not go unnoticed. She gave her patient, her last moments of life with dignity and compassion. Thank you for always going above and beyond for your patients and family members and being a listening ear.
After returning from the long MRI, she settled the patient back into her specialty bed, which Marisa also made sure she obtained for the patient after complaints of a sore bottom. The patient's daughter arrived and after seeing how much her mother was suffering, Marisa offered her a chair to sit on and listened to the daughter as she was crying, and Marisa consoled her. Marisa was able to reach out to the medical staff in the unit and with the help and team communication, the medical team was able to make this patient a DNR/DNI-B, so the wishes of the patient/daughter would be honored by the staff. Not even a couple of hours later, the patient passed away.
If it wasn't for the extra mile and efforts of Marisa Bellucci for going above and beyond, the staff would have applied emergency procedures to the patient and inevitably prolonged the patient's suffering. The daughter was able to be by her side and say her goodbyes to her mother in peace with no more suffering. In a critical care setting, it is sometimes difficult to be able to manage a critical patient and then also console and reassure a family member at the bedside. Marisa's efforts yesterday did not go unnoticed. She gave her patient, her last moments of life with dignity and compassion. Thank you for always going above and beyond for your patients and family members and being a listening ear.