In his “darkest moment,” a nurse saved his life
Break the seal on a new pack of Starbucks Dark Roast. Click on the coffee pot at 5 p.m. Enjoy two cups of freshly brewed coffee. Step into the hospital by 7 p.m.
It was a typical Thursday afternoon routine. This was nothing new for a seasoned, registered nurse working on the surgical intensive care unit. Especially someone like Andrew George.
The Nashville native has been performing this routine since he started as a health tech at VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System in 2009. By 2014, George worked his way up from a health tech to a licensed practical nurse and finally to a registered nurse with clinical certifications.
“Two cups of coffee. It’s pretty routine for me,” George chuckled.
Until it isn’t routine anymore.
Like the rising sun, at 5 a.m. on Friday, May 3, the hallways of the surgical intensive care unit at Nashville VA were pulsing with life and bustling with energy as nurses gently woke their patients to prepare them for upcoming procedures.
“Before surgery, you have to give your patients a morning shower,” George said. “I got his stuff ready, walked him down to the unit’s shower, and he came back to his bed. Maybe like five minutes later he says, ‘man, my chest is starting to hurt a little bit.’”
George’s patient, Veteran Neil Byalick, was in for a cardiac procedure – a procedure scheduled to happen in nearly one hour. George explained to Byalick that he probably exerted himself too much walking down the hall and to take a few minutes to catch his breath. While George attached Byalick to the bed side monitor to evaluate his vital signs, he noticed intermittent heart rhythm changes on the monitor.
Byalick was still experiencing chest pain, so George grabbed an electrocardiogram to evaluate the electrical signals of the heart. An alarming sensation arose within the registered nurse as he saw his patient's ST segments were elevated indicating a myocardial infarction – commonly known as a heart attack. George alerted the overnight physician and the surgical intensive care unit staff of the emergent situation.
“My whole life changed in a matter of minutes,” Byalick stated.
Despite the dire situation, George remained calm and quickly administered nitroglycerin to thwart the pain and cardiac episode before bringing Byalick to the catheterization lab for further diagnostic imaging and treatment.
“He was kinda scared at that time,” George said. “I was pretty much with him the whole time, and he admired that. That [staying with him] really stuck with him.”
Because of his actions, George prevented the heart attack from progressing and ultimately saved the Veteran’s life. Had it not been for George’s commitment to zero harm and preoccupation with failure, Byalick may have died on the operating table that morning if the team continued with the surgery.
A few weeks after his life-saving actions, George observed a few team members setting up decorations. Perplexed by the decor, he shrugged it off and carried on with his duties. It wasn’t until his unit’s morning huddle and seeing a familiar face that he pieced together the puzzle.
Byalick believed the Nashville native deserved more recognition for his efforts, so he nominated George for The DAISY Award – an international award given to nurses, nurse leaders, and nursing teams who provide compassionate, above-and-beyond health care to a patient, patient’s family, and visitors.
“I started to have severe problems not knowing what was happening to me. Andrew [George] came to my rescue and pulled me from my darkest moment,” Byalick wrote in The DAISY Award nomination. “His calmness and great skills helped me stay calm and know that I was going to be okay.”
George recalled feeling shocked and surprised by the award and was even more delighted to see Byalick among the crowd of nurses and doctors. Although he was honored by the humbling award, George felt the efforts were a result of cross-functional team collaboration.
“It’s nice to get an award when you’re just working and doing your everyday routine. It’s very encouraging to stick with it,” he said. “It’s [VA] all I know. I’m very fortunate, and I really like VA.”
In the closing remarks of the nomination letter, Byalick wrote a profound statement that resembles the very core of why many individuals like Andrew George choose to enter and remain in the health care profession, “I truly believe that Andrew is why I'm here today.”
To nominate a VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System nurse for their extraordinary care, visit www.daisynomination.org/TVHS.