I was on call for ortho and Sarah called me just after 10 p.m. about a routine physical exam she thought was unusual. In this case, Sarah was doing an evening post-op neurovascular check on a very kind patient. In my mind, I couldn't really see how the patient could have lost pulses after the procedure, but Sarah almost never calls unless it's really, really important. Taking her at her word and her reputation, I put on some clothes and came into the hospital. I repeated the exam. Sure enough, the foot was cold. We started another big IV and Sarah rushed the patient to CT for an angiogram which showed a massive string of blood clots which were strangulating the patient's entire left leg. After seeing the results, I called the CVOR Surgeon who came in and took the lady emergently to the CVOR to get her blood moving again. By 4 a.m., the patient was back on the floor with a warm foot.
The patient, a wonderful older lady, still had 10 toes and 2 legs to stand on because Sarah cut hours down to minutes for each step in the way. Based on other circumstances with the patient this could have resulted in death.
Although it sounds rather corny, one of the best parts of being a surgeon at Mercy is my trust in the nursing care for our patients. No one other than surgeons appreciates sleep more (except maybe than a new mom) and I am glad I can close my eyes at night with the knowledge that our patients are in good hands.
Sarah's professionalism and exacting clinical skills detected an extremely rare post-operative complication and she acted upon this and called me. She saved a patient's leg, and life, by listening to a whisper and hearing a tornado. I am amazed and grateful!