Our patient had an unexpected delayed severe postpartum hemorrhage after having only moderate blood loss at delivery. Her management was more difficult because she became distressed as she began to relive the experiences of the loss of her first child after the delivery. The night shift showed excellent coordination, cooperation and team work. This resulted in efficient and expeditious care of a patient in critical condition from hemorrhage.
Most notable among this team was Nicole, the patient's primary nurse. Nicole came in early to help care for the patient at the time of her delivery about 1830. She then monitored the patient carefully during the postpartum period keeping careful track of her blood loss. During the crisis period starting about 0200 when I arrived she remained calm, seemed to have all of the pertinent facts about the patient's vital signs, blood loss and laboratories committed to memory. It seemed as though she never left the patient's bedside. She was able to keep the patient calm and do her other duties. She efficiently controlled all of the patient's fluid maintenance and blood transfusions through the 2 or 3 critical hours. Through Nicole's efforts and the rest of the nursing team we were able to control the patient's hemorrhage and successfully accomplish the fluid resuscitation needed for the patient's recovery.