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When Ummema and her husband, Abdul, arrived in Michael 九游体育鈥檚 (MGH) Margaret Chambers Diagnostic Imaging (DI) Department on a Tuesday morning earlier this year, she was hoping to get answers for the 鈥渦nbearable鈥� stomach pain she was feeling 鈥� something she says she had never experienced before.
After being seen by teams in both the Stavro Emergency Department (ED) and DI, Ummema received a diagnosis that was completely unexpected 鈥� one that caused her care team at MGH to spring into action and provide her swift, life-saving care in the span of just a few hours.
鈥淚 felt very, very appreciative and very lucky,鈥� Ummema says.
鲍尘尘别尘补鈥檚 experience at MGH is one example of the collaborative and emergency care that the interdisciplinary teams provide every day.
In this case, their quick thinking and teamwork allowed for a timely, coordinated effort that identified and addressed a potentially life-threatening condition in a patient 鈥� and resulted in a positive outcome for everyone involved.
Ummema started feeling stomach pain during the evening on January 22. When the pain got progressively worse, she and Abdul decided to visit the ED at MGH, their community hospital.
The pain Ummema was feeling began affecting her ability to speak and breathe at some points, so Abdul was there to provide support and facilitate communication with the care team. After being seen by an emergency physician, they were sent to the DI Department for further care.
There, they met Kelli Jackson, Sonographer at MGH, for an ultrasound. 鈥淪he was caring and compassionate,鈥� Abdul recalls. 鈥淪he knew my wife was in a lot of pain, so she never rushed us. She said, 鈥業f anything is uncomfortable, let me know.鈥欌€�
When Kelli scanned 鲍尘尘别尘补鈥檚 upper abdomen, she noticed abnormalities but nothing that explained her pain. Because of this, Kelli then took the initiative to scan 鲍尘尘别尘补鈥檚 pelvis even though she was not originally instructed to do so. There, she saw evidence that Ummema may be experiencing a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, a potentially life-threatening condition that may include severe bleeding.
While ectopic pregnancies are not uncommon, this situation was unusual in that Ummema did not know she was pregnant at the time. Kelli was able to confirm the pregnancy when she noted in 鲍尘尘别尘补鈥檚 patient chart that she had a positive level of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG), a pregnancy hormone.
Kelli immediately called Dr. Noah Ditkofsky, Chief of Radiology at MGH. They decided that Ummema should return to the ED with the diagnosis of a ruptured ectopic pregnancy until proven otherwise.
鈥淚n that moment, I felt I had a clear picture of 鲍尘尘别尘补鈥檚 history and explanation of what was causing her pain and I advocated for her,鈥� Kelli says. 鈥淪he wasn鈥檛 able to verbally describe her pain in detail, but I could see in her eyes, the colour of her face and her body language that she was not well and that this was an urgent situation.鈥�
At the DI Team鈥檚 request, a porter quickly arrived to move Ummema back to the ED. Dr. Ditkofsky walked alongside the bed with Abdul. 鈥淕iven that she looked unwell, I did not want her to be without a physician,鈥� Dr. Ditkofsky says.
The emergency physician who initially saw Ummema met the group in the hallway as they headed toward the ED. Dr. Ilana Clark, Resident OB/GYN at MGH, was the first OB/GYN to see Ummema in the ED.
鈥淒r. Clark continuously gave my wife comfort and checked in repeatedly,鈥� Abdul recalls. 鈥淪he was very compassionate and calming 鈥� exactly what was needed in such an overwhelming situation.鈥�
Dr. Clark then promptly notified Dr. Jennifer Cram, Chief of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at MGH. 鈥淪he was very astute and knew exactly how to convey to me the urgency of the situation,鈥� Dr. Cram says. 鈥淔rom there, everything happened very quickly.鈥�
The care team further assessed and treated Ummema. They also explained to her and Abdul what they suspected was happening and that Ummema would be transferred to the Operating Room to receive emergency surgery from Dr. Cram.
鈥淚t was really nerve-wracking, but we appreciated the clarity we got in that situation. I know my wife was going through a lot,鈥� Abdul says. 鈥淭he surgery was successful, and we stayed at the hospital for three nights while Ummema 谤别肠辞惫别谤别诲.鈥�
Dr. Ditkofsky says Kelli鈥檚 critical thinking and the quick communication and action among the ED, DI, Portering, OB/GYN and Surgery Teams was key to the success of 鲍尘尘别尘补鈥檚 care.
鈥淭he patient鈥檚 care was essentially continuous from the moment Kelli noticed something was amiss to their time in the Operating Room,鈥� Dr. Ditkofsky says.
Kelli says, as a sonographer, her decision to scan beyond what was instructed of her did not feel like 鈥済oing beyond鈥� her scope of work. Rather, it is part of her job to 鈥渁nswer a clinical question 鈥� in this case, what was causing the patient pain 鈥� and document any findings through ultrasound images while providing care for my patients.
鈥淧atients look to healthcare providers to help them find answers, improve their well-being and live healthy lives,鈥� Kelli adds. 鈥�Not all patients and situations are the same, so analyzing and considering all relevant information is crucial to be able to make any conclusions. I鈥檓 filled with gratitude to know that Ummema is alive and well, and I feel proud to have been part of the MGH team.鈥�
Dr. Cram says the experience demonstrates that 鈥渋n an emergency, there is no hierarchy鈥�. 鈥淓veryone on the care team did what needed to be done,鈥� she says.
Ummema and Abdul are thankful to those who were involved in 鲍尘尘别尘补鈥檚 care at MGH. 鈥淲e want to express our gratitude to the entire team that helped,鈥� they say. 鈥淚t鈥檚 these people who are heroes and our angels on this Earth.鈥�