Chris Rourke
January 2022
Chris
Rourke
,
RN
5 Heart
Spartanburg Medical Center
Spartanburg
,
SC
United States

 

 

 

Chris was able to remove the barrier, move the patient, and start CPR, saving the patient.
This nurse was taking care of a patient on 5H. When the patient got out of bed to ambulate to the bathroom, he went into cardiac arrest and collapsed, wedging the bathroom door into the doorframe, which blocked the patient’s room door from entry (this is a murphy's law one-in-a-million type of coincidence - has never happened before). When the monitor room called to alert the nurse of the patient’s decreased oxygen levels and arrhythmia, the staff was unable to enter the room to help the patient. Quickly and calmly, this nurse climbed on a rolling chair, lifted himself above and over the door (which required him to remove ceiling tiles to do so), and lowered himself back down into the room. This nurse was able to remove the barrier, move the patient, and start CPR, saving the patient. This happened in a quick time span, minutes at best. The 5Heart manager stated this nurse was very humble about the situation and mostly concerned about his patient. She emphasized that Chris maintained a calm demeanor and set the tone for the entire floor in a chaotic situation, as he physically went above and beyond anything we could ever ask of a nurse at Spartanburg Medical Center. We are very grateful for his quick actions and dedication to patient care.