June 2020
Kye
Shealy
,
RN
CVICU
Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis
Memphis
,
TN
United States
My husband was in CVICU following a TAVR. He was also given a nerve block to his right leg. He would tell the nurses and doctors that he couldn't feel his leg. Everyone kept telling him it was the block and it would get better. At 12 noon, this nurse was assigned to him. My husband began to tell him about his leg. The nurse assessed his leg and foot. There were weak pulses with a doppler. He reassessed his leg a short time later and noticed a slight color change and checked the pulses again with a doppler- NO pulses were heard. The nurse immediately called the Dr. and immediately surgery was ordered. This nurse used excellent critical thinking skills and thought past the block. His assessment and immediate follow-up communication with the surgeon saved my husband's leg and possibly his life. The closure device used on the femoral artery had occluded it completely and smaller vessels had some blockage. The closure device was removed and another type was used. Thank you, Kye Shealy, RN!