I want to bring to your attention, and express my profound thanks, for the help that Karyn Kennedy provided me a few weeks ago with a critically ill patient coming to the OR. This morbidly obese, covid-positive patient had received a trach along with continued bleeding after arriving back in the ICU postoperatively. We reintubated the patient orally, yet continued to have problems ventilating. It was a very fluid situation, and different plans were proposed.

For example, proposals were made to do another trach at the ICU bedside. Another person thought we should take her back to the OR. The surgeon said he would like to do a bronchoscopy and find out if that might provide more information. Eventually, the decision was made late in the day to bring her back to the OR, close the original trach, and create a new one. The surgeon said he still wanted to do a bronch in the OR. A previous OR director discarded our reusable bronchoscopes a few years ago and decided to purchase single-use disposable ones instead. The surgeon tried one of those while still in the ICU but was not happy with the visualization that it provided. So, while others were bundling her off back to the OR, I ran to SPU hoping that someone would be there who could bring the SPU bronch cart to the OR and help the surgeon with it. Fortunately, Karyn was still there, although it was time for her to leave since it was the end of the day.

After clearing it with the charge nurse, Karyn kindly agreed to stay late and do everything required to use SPU bronch equipment. I thanked my lucky stars that she was still here and agreed to stay! In the end, the patient got a new trach. Karyn's professionalism and skill shone that day, and I want to pass on my thanks to her.