Recognizing our Critical Care Team
The Critical Care team cares for some of the most seriously ill patients within the walls of St. Mary’s: those who are on life support or require complex medical intervention. This team provides the most care in two Intensive Care Units (ICU): Medical Surgical ICU (MSICU) and Cardiovascular ICU (CVICU).
What is MSICU?
The MSICU provides care to critically ill patients with life-threatening medical situations, such as sepsis, respiratory failure, kidney or liver failure, and COVID or who are recovering from surgery that requires advanced monitoring methods and interventions.
What is CVICU?
The CVICU provides care to critically ill patients with serious cardiac or vascular conditions, including diagnoses such as heart attacks, heart failure, cardiac electric rhythm disorders, and more.
The critical care team at St. Mary’s is comprised of Level 3 critical care trained nurses, some of whom have over 30 years of experience, and others who are newer to nursing with a specialized interest and training committed to critical care. In addition to the nursing staff, patients are cared for by an entire team of professionals including: pharmacists, social workers, registered dietitians, physiotherapists, physicians, respiratory therapists, and clinical aides.
“What is most striking to me is that our ICU nurses have been at the forefront of the pandemic, and they continue to show compassion, dedication, and resiliency in the care they provide,” says Holly, Program Manager, MSICU, CCU, CCRT. “It speaks highly to their commitment to patient care, nursing, and to serving their community. We recently underwent a retention survey with this team and overwhelmingly what mattered most to them was being able to provide exceptional patient care. For me, this reflects the care that they consistently provide.”
Beyond the unit staff, there are two teams that respond to critical calls throughout the hospital outside of the ICU. The first team is the Critical Care Response Team (CCRT), a team comprised of highly experienced and specially trained nurses. The team expands the ICU’s reach to provide early intervention for patients who have the potential to be critically ill to hopefully prevent an ICU admission. This team launched here in 2018, with a full rollout in 2019, and they have quickly become an integral role within the walls of St. Mary’s.
The second team to respond to critical calls is the Code Blue team who responds when patients in other areas of the hospital experience sudden cardiac or respiratory arrest. This team has been on the leading-edge for community hospitals in implementing Protected Code-Blue policy and practices to keep health care professionals safe during a resuscitation. They ensure good oxygen delivery, coordinate CPR, administer life-saving medications, and may provide defibrillation.
St. Mary’s Critical Care Team provides high-quality care to some of our most complex patients. For some patients, their illnesses are not possible to overcome, and this team supports our patients’ families and loved ones throughout their final journey.
As part of this support, our Critical Care team plays an important role at St. Mary’s in identifying potential donors, working with our partners at Ontario Health Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN), and providing a key support system for the families of these patients.
“Despite everything the team has been faced with throughout the pandemic, the importance and need to discuss and think about organ and tissue donation has not been lost on them,” says Brandon, Director, Regional Cardiac and Critical Care Programs. “The team has continued to partner with Ontario Health Trillium Gift of Life
Network (TGLN) and keep quality end of life conversations around donation at the forefront when criteria is met. Throughout it all, the team continues to emphasize the importance and significance of donation.”
Once a patient has been identified as a potential donor, the Critical Care team contacts TGLN. TGLN collaborates with the health care team and if appropriate, to meet with the patient’s family about the opportunity of organ and tissue donation as part of quality end of life care. For families who are having these discussions, it means that the circumstances for their loved one cannot change, but perhaps their loved one can live on through the gift of life.
Organ donation is a unique opportunity where only 2% of the population meet the specific criteria to be offered donation as an end of life opportunity. These conversations can be coordinated night or day, and the team from Trillium respond as quickly as possible.
“We support donation for every family whose loved one has the opportunity to donate as part of high-quality, end of life care,” says Shannon, Specialist Organ and Tissue Donation, Ontario Health Trillium Gift of Life Network. “It is always a pleasure to collaborate with the health care teams at St. Mary’s General Hospital. It truly takes a team to ensure the success of a donation. For example, The Provincial Resource Centre, physicians, the lab, medical imaging, RTs, Cardiac Angio, and the OR, within each facility make donations possibility for families.”
April is #BeADonor month, a time to encourage people to become registered donors and increase awareness about the impact a gift of life can have.
In addition to April being #BeADonor month, April 7 is Green Shirt Day. Inspired by Logan Boulet, an organ donor and member of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team who died tragically, National Green Shirt Day celebrates organ donation across Canada. Remember to wear a green shirt on Thursday in honour of organ donors. A big thank you to our Critical Care Team and the exceptional care they provide in our ICUs and throughout the hospital. You are an integral team to St. Mary’s and the community we serve, and an important partner in organ and tissue donation.