Mikki was making a regularly scheduled home nursing visit to a patient. He had been discharged from the hospital after suffering from a NSTEMI. When Mikki arrived she noted that he was short of breath and was struggling to walk as far as he normally could. She further assessed him and suggested to him that he needed to go to the hospital, to which he agreed. Mikki called 911 and requested emergent ambulance transport for active chest pain. Mikki gave the patient a dose of Nitroglycerin SL with unfortunately no relief. His breathing changed and Mikki called 911 again and informed them of the change in condition. He stopped breathing during the call and was not responsive to sternal rub.

Mikki was able to get the patient to the floor and began chest compressions. EMS arrived while Mikki was performing her first round of 30 compressions and took over. Mikki’s quick response, proficient nursing skills, and calmness were essential in giving the patient the best chance possible to survive. What was probably one of the scariest 3 minutes of Mikki’s life, her excellent nursing skills saved the patient. Having a patient code on you in the hospital is scary enough and you have an entire code team to support you, but having a patient code on you in their home with no one else to help takes it to a whole different level.

ICC commends Mikki on her excellent nursing skills and shared that the patient “wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for her”. Excellent job Mikki, excellent job! We are so proud of you.