With the flurry of COVID-19 activity in the hospital, the country, the world, and our own little practice, I have been remiss in not giving enough recognition to the remarkable handling of a remarkable case just a few short weeks (or a lifetime) ago. It was Stacie Boltin, RN who was taking triage calls that morning when the call came in. "I think my water broke!" That's pretty routine for a seasoned women's health nurse, but the next sentence was not. "Um...I think the cord has prolapsed."
Stacie stayed calm, instructed the patient to call 911, which she did from another phone while Stacie instructed her and her husband how to gently push the prolapsed cord (the baby's lifeline) back inside. At the same time, Stacie alerted someone to call up to the Women and Children's Unit to alert them of the situation. The OR team and pediatrician were alerted and an OB nurse and the doctor on call met the patient in the ED when EMS arrived.
The diagnosis was confirmed and she was taken to the OR without delay where anesthesia was administered and a healthy baby was delivered by emergency c-section. When we first got the call we did not even know if we would have a live baby, as even when a cord prolapse happens in the hospital, any delay can mean we don't act in time. But thanks to Stacie's calm instructions and the mobilization of a great team we were able to have a happy end to this story. Stacie's handling of the phone call went above and beyond.