Quick thinking PCTII comes to the rescue

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Chona H.

A big shout out to Melody Wucsina, PCT II on MSU for thinking fast, acting fast and staying calm!

While caring for her patients, Melody heard someone calling out for help. She rushed to find out what the need was and saw an elderly man who was in tears, saying “my wife is choking!”. Melody and the patient’s husband rushed to the patient’s room, and she immediately saw the patient sitting up in the bed exhibiting signs of distress. Melody assessed that the patient “was choking, short of breath, and her lips were turning blue.” She remained calm, used her BLS skills, and without hesitation, performed the Heimlich maneuver on the patient, successfully dislodging a piece of macaroni from the patient’s throat.

The patient immediately felt better, her breathing normalized, and her skin tone returned to normal. But Melody’s work did not stop there; she proceeded to make the patient comfortable while consoling and reassuring both patient and spouse that everything was going to be okay. Both the patient and family member were very thankful and appreciative that Melody reacted so quickly and so professionally to an emergent situation.

Melody has been a patient care technician for 13 years at AAMC and has consistently demonstrated excellent care and kindness to her patients and their families. During this incident, her calm demeanor and expertise saved the day! When asked about the event, Melody responded that “this is the second time I have been able to perform the Heimlich on a person who was choking. I was glad to be able to help.” We are so proud to have Melody on our team!

-MaryAnn Julian, Charge RN, MSU