Melissa was the baby nurse for a baby boy. After getting the mom and baby to recovery, she decided to take the baby to the warmer due to irregular breathing patterns and proceeded to do a full assessment on the infant.

During her assessment on the male newborn, she felt a hard mass on one of the testicles, it had slight discoloration but was similar in size to the other testicle. This was a good catch and not easily noticeable. 

Melissa called the neonatologist and described the anomaly. Despite the neo being very busy, she came to assess the infant. This nurse was able to advocate for her non-English-speaking patient to ensure that communication was thorough and that the parents understood the urgency of this situation. 

The unit was busy, and this “seemingly” non-urgent situation could have been very easily delayed, had it not been for the nurse’s persistence in getting a proper diagnosis and assessment from an MD. Once bedside, the neonatologist ordered a stat ultrasound and was able to make a prompt diagnosis of testicular torsion. 

As soon as the diagnosis was made, the infant was transferred out for immediate emergency surgery. Without the persistence of the nurse and the neonatologist’s diagnosis, this infant could have lost BOTH testicles.

Luckily, because this baby was under the care of Melissa, surgeons were able to save one teste, forever altering the future for this little boy and his family.