Maribel Wu, DNP, RN, PCCN-CMC

Maribel had an amazing catch recently where she noticed that a patient who was scheduled for a CABG had taken Ozempic two days prior. Recently, there has been information put out by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) stating that most of these GLP-1 agonists should be held for a week prior to surgery. Maribel quickly alerted the anesthesia team, who then did an ultrasound examination of the patient’s stomach, only to find it full despite the patient having been appropriately NPO. The anesthesia team elected to cancel the surgery. It is quite likely that Maribel saved this patient from a serious aspiration event and quite possibly saved his life. Her vigilance and attention to detail, as well as her timely communication, are deeply appreciated by the anesthesia and cardiac surgery teams.