Lorraine Fender, DNP, RN, left, Nurse Manager, and Anne Maguire, NP
Lorraine Fender, DNP, RN, Nurse Manager, and Anne Maguire, NP, of the Mount Sinai West Institute for Advanced Medicine, known as the Samuels Clinic, were recently recognized at the daily huddle of Mount Sinai Health System leaders. The reason: Ms. Maguire and Ms. Fender acted swiftly and decisively in leading a spur-of-the-moment team that helped save a patient’s life.
While in office hours, Ms. Maguire noticed a patient sitting in a chair with his head against the wall. When approached, the patient was pale and unresponsive, and Ms. Maguire immediately called for help. Ms. Fender responded to the call, and together with Jeffrey Fishberger, MD, the three lifted the patient from his chair and placed him on the floor. Ms. Maguire realized that the patient did not have a pulse and was not breathing.
After instructing Ms. Fender to begin CPR, Ms. Maguire called out for someone to call the Code Team, which specializes in emergency response, and practice manager Rachel Gonzalez did so immediately. Meanwhile, Mariko Yamasaki, RN, BSN, helped set up the automatic external defibrillator, and Michael Olivier-De La Torre, DNP, assisted with manual resuscitation while Ms. Fender performed compressions.
The team continued CPR until the Code Team arrived and took over. The patient was intubated, medicated, and defibrillated several times, but remained unresponsive. Ms. Fender and Ms. Maguire stayed with him as Ms. Fender continued compressions, and the decision was made to transport the patient to the ED to continue CPR.
The staff in the Samuels Practice later found out that the patient survived and was transferred to Mount Sinai Morningside. Upon discharge from the hospital, the patient returned to Samuels for an appointment with his primary care physician. He expressed his appreciation and thanked the staff for saving his life.
When Ms. Fender and Ms. Maguire were told they would be celebrated, they wanted to make sure that others were also recognized, including Dr. Fishberger, Mariko Yamasaki, Michael Olivier-De La Torre, Rachel Gonzalez, and the Mount Sinai West Code Team. By working collaboratively, they were able to save a patient’s life. They went on to say that a situation like this is one of the many reasons they come to work every day and try to make a difference in the lives of their patients. They thanked the Samuels Clinic faculty and staff for a job well done and the team’s remarkable collaboration.