I was taking care of a patient on 4South in collaboration with Matthew Sopt, RN and a few other consultants. The patient was medically stable and cleared for discharge. The discharge was completed and the patient was waiting for it to be carried out. At some point after the patient was seen, it appeared that she had suffered an embolic event with a subsequent blood clot that occluded one of the arteries of her left upper arm. The patient reported to Matthew that the hand was feeling unusual. Matthew promptly alerted the doctors on the case. I saw the patient, canceled the discharge and ordered a stat workup. The patient underwent an emergent thrombectomy and was safely discharged the next morning. The event that this patient suffered was still evolving. It was not obvious that something serious was taking place. If the case was not looked at with meticulous attention, this could have been dismissed or easily missed, especially in an elderly patient with cognitive decline.

Fortunately, Matthew did not dismiss this patient's complaints. Matthew was crucial in uncovering the event and providing the appropriate care/interventions. He made sure that the orders were carried out in a timely manner. We collaborated closely in this case. It was great teamwork! Matthew did a fantastic job as he looked seriously into a vague complaint and a minor change. I am very grateful for Matthew’s care and hard work. He made a difference!