I would like to acknowledge Mika on her outstanding work ethic, compassion, and for being an overall team player. In September, we did an open heart surgery on one of the sickest patients we have operated on this past year. The operation was complicated as we had to go deep inside the heart to repair the heart valve that had been damaged and diseased for many years. The lungs and the rest of the cardiovascular system had been significantly damaged. On the second night of the postoperative care, the patient started to deteriorate and necessitated advanced medical care to keep him alive. An arterial line, pulmonary artery catheter placement, hemodynamic monitoring, and advanced pulmonary hypertension protocols needed to be instituted. Unfortunately, this happened after shift change (after 7 PM). The nurse team that came on was not experienced to care for this type of setup and to care for a patient in extremis. After already working a full shift and managing a complicated patient all day, Mika did not abandon her colleagues! She turned around as she was leaving the hospital to come and join the team and not only place all the devices and monitor them, she taught the team how to do it in the future on their own!! This is one of the many times she has gone above and beyond to help patients and staff.
As the surgeon, I am credited for the outstanding CV program but it's team members such as this nurse who put the patient first and make our program outstanding!! I am humbled and honored to work with people like Mika who care so much. On a daily basis, the heart team (especially her) demonstrate what it is to be caring, compassionate, and overall great people!