A patient was scheduled for an aortic aneurysm repair and was admitted to SICU on a ventilator and received multiple infusions to maintain his blood pressure. The next day, the medical team decided that the patient needed ECMO and required transfer to a different facility for a higher level of care. Ms. Susan Huron immediately recognized two significant challenges. 1. The Hines VA Cardiac Surgery nurses had never cared for or placed a patient on ECMO, so there was no policy, protocol, or previous training. 2. Hines had never transferred a patient directly from the OR to another hospital.

Immediately, nurse Huron worked with Logistics, putting them on high alert, updated the perfusionist, alerted the transfer office that a transfer was needed, and securing an ACLS ambulance.

The patient was successfully placed on ECMO in the main OR and was safely transferred to the next hospital without decannulation or exsanguination. This excellent example of teamwork was led by the cardiac surgeons, supported by the cardiac surgery nurses, and coordinated by Ms. Susan Huron. Her 30+ years of cardiac surgical nursing experience, quick thinking, and proactive troubleshooting made a lifesaving difference in the care of this veteran patient.