Great Catch Winners

Emily Cardinale, RN, (left) and Andrea Galeano, RN, Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) were recognized for interventions with an MICU patient scheduled for a CT scan. The patient was placed on a transport ventilator, but was switched back to the bedside ventilator when the test was delayed. A short time later, the patient’s blood pressure dropped to an unsafe level, triggering an alarm. The primary nurse was with another patient, so Cardinale assisted and called for help. Galeano took the patient off the ventilator and began manual oxygenation. The nurses had called the physician assistant and respiratory therapist, when Galeano discovered a ventilator malfunction. It was fixed, and the patient’s blood pressure and oxygen saturation normalized.

Brianna Leone, RN, Emergency Department, and Anthony Renzoni, PharmD, Pharmacy, were honored for caring for an ED patient who required calcium gluconate for hyperkalemia. Leone noticed the calcium gluconate was ordered as a 60-minute infusion instead of as an IV push over five minutes. She escalated her concerns to Renzoni, who worked with the provider to replace the order and ensure the patient received the correct medication dose. Renzoni investigated further and discovered that an incorrect calcium gluconate order was linked to the Hyperkalemia Pathway in Epic. He worked with the appropriate teams to make a systemwide change to remove the incorrect order from Epic and streamline administration instructions.

Sarah Stempien, RN, received an order for the vaccine Pentacel for her infant patient. Pentacel is a non-formulary medication, so the Pharmacy appropriately changed the order to Pediarix. Pediarix combines vaccines for several conditions, including hepatitis B. Before giving the medication, Stempien reviewed her patient’s orders and saw an order for a separate hepatitis B vaccine. She quickly alerted the neonatologist, who discontinued the separate hepatitis B vaccine order and prevented a duplicate dose.