Melynda
Beltran
August 2012
Melynda
Beltran
,
RN
General Pediatrics
El Paso Children's Hospital
El Paso
,
TX
United States

 

 

 

Melynda Beltran is our hero. My granddaughter’s first three weeks of life have been full of pain, with one medical incident after another. Finally, she was discharged from the intensive care unit with hopes of going home soon. My granddaughter was transferred to the general pediatric floor. During Melynda’s assessment, she noticed no blood return from the central line and that the leg was mottled and swollen. The attending physician was reluctant to remove, due to previous surgery orders. Melynda was persistent in her efforts to have the line removed. A blood clot (60% occlusion) was discovered in my granddaughter’s leg. Due to Melynda’s thoroughness and tenacity, the clot would have likely gone undiscovered (and therefore increase in size). Melynda kept the family informed of the situation and all activity regarding the care, and she made sure the rest of the care team was informed as well. It helped the family feel empowered to act and not react to these unplanned situations.