Stephen Ingerson, MSN, RN, APRN, CNS

I witnessed Stephen act upon a patient care situation that deserves recognition. I was rounding with Stephen and upon entering 3 South, Stephen noted and IV pump that was alarming. Stephen never passes an active call light or alarm without entering the patient's room to silence the IV pump, he noted the patient to be in distress.

The patient was rigorous, in extreme pain, and was noted to have significant wrist and hand swelling. Stephen attempted to notify the Primary Nurse, who appeared to have been off the unit at the time. He immediately notified the manager to help assist. After a brief assessment, Stephen remained uncomfortable with the patient's status and activated a MERT. The MERT team arrived, and the patient's provider presented to the bedside for assessment. Stephen was able to collaborate with the team and advocate for the patient in a positive way.

Through the MERT, it was identified that the patient had signs and symptoms of sepsis, and blood cultures and lactic acid were ordered by the provider. When the lactic acid resulted positive, the provider ordered antibiotics. As it turned out, the patient had bacteremia and had Stephen not acted as swiftly as he did, the patient would have likely had a poor outcome, including loss of digits, organ failure, and possibly death. Thank you, Stephen!