I recently underwent a total knee arthroplasty at Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital. I was fortunate to have Jeff Azeman as my pre-op and post-PACU nurse. I was supposed to go home on the day of surgery, and normally, patients return to the pre-op area, then are discharged home. Unfortunately, my blood pressure prevented me from going home on the day of surgery. From the moment I met Jeff at 5:15 am, he was high-energy, friendly, and witty, using humor to ease the anxiety of the pending surgery. While preparing me for the surgery, Jeff walked us through the entire day's schedule and answered all of our questions. He was truly passionate about providing education and ensuring we had all the information we needed. Jeff made sure to introduce all the other team members as we came into contact with them, which truly instilled confidence in his pre-op team!

Following my procedure, I was in PACU and received some great care from the team, and then was transferred back to Jeff while awaiting therapy and preparing me to go home. Jeff was truly empathetic regarding my pain control and consistently asked about pain level and discussed medication options, as well as using ice for pain control. My blood pressure continued to stay elevated, so while I was able to walk with therapy, we did not do the stairs because of safety concerns. Jeff continued to monitor my blood pressure and keep the anesthesiologist updated on my condition. Jeff and the physician came in to discuss my condition with my wife and me, and the physician seemed comfortable with me going home and said that “my blood pressure would most likely normalize over the next 24 hours.” Jeff could tell that my wife and I were concerned about this, and he discussed it with the MD, who agreed that I might be better off staying overnight. Thank goodness that Jeff was there to be a patient advocate and make sure the right thing was done for me, the patient.

Jeff was compassionate and shared all of the pros and cons of discharging home versus staying overnight in the hospital. Once the decision was made to admit me for overnight observation, around 4:00, Jeff again walked us through the timing and process for getting me admitted to a room upstairs. He even ordered us dinner trays to eat in pre-op, knowing that it might take some time to move me upstairs. I cannot thank Jeff enough for the fantastic care, great sense of humor, and dedication to his job as a nurse on this day. His passion as a caregiver and empathy for his patients and their families truly showed through on my surgery day. I cannot thank him and the entire Orlando Health Bayfront pre-op, OR, PACU, and 6th-floor nursing team for the great care I received. Thank you!