A Day ( and night) in the ICU

A Day ( and night) in the ICU

Connie and I exchange report on the patients and the planned surgeries.   We determine the patient assignments, the nurse who will collaborate with the Rwandan nurse and the transfers out of the ICU.   We do this following the doctor, nurse, pharmacist team report.   It has been working well and everyone has done whatever we have ask of them.   A truely wonderful team.    I just finished 4  (12 h) nights and after a rest day will go back to work tomorrow for days and work with Connie for the first time since 2010!

This is Dediudonne.   He was a triple valve surgery patient and his surgery was very long and complicated.   We were unsure if he would live as he had a great deal of bleeding.   I admitted him from surgery to the ICU with the help of my Rwandan collegue and friend Nurse Clementine.   We worked so hard with many of the doctors at the bedside including Jabarius from the BWH and Maurice, the Rwandan doctor who will train in South Africa to take over our program after 2015.   10 hrs of non stop ( and lots of blood) we had him stablized and he was awake and out of bed that evening.   As we worked hard and fought for his recovery Jabarais said " God takes care of fools and babies" and we witnessed a miracle!

Some of our team members inculding Maurice, Jabarais, Dr Joseph Mukunbitzi( Rwanda cardiologist and liason to Team Heart) Gitia( global fellow in surgery with partners in heath) and Dimetrious,  out BWH fellow from Greece.