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New York 4/18/2020 Samantha Heavrin

KyANA CRNAs on the COVID-19 Front lines in the HotSpots
Disclaimer:  KyANA does not endorse or sponsor the content within blog posts. KyANA shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use information contained within posts. The contents of the KyANA blog, such as text, graphics, images, and other material are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the KyANA blog. The KyANA reserves the right to reject any blog post or comment for any reason.

Day: Who Knows! 4/18/20

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New York 4/16/2020 Samantha Heavrin

KyANA CRNAs on the COVID-19 Front lines in the HotSpots
Disclaimer:  KyANA does not endorse or sponsor the content within blog posts. KyANA shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use information contained within posts. The contents of the KyANA blog, such as text, graphics, images, and other material are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the KyANA blog. The KyANA reserves the right to reject any blog post or comment for any reason.

Day 14: Mask Warnings

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New York 4/15/2020 Samantha Heavrin

KyANA CRNAs on the COVID-19 Front lines in the HotSpots
Disclaimer:  KyANA does not endorse or sponsor the content within blog posts. KyANA shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use information contained within posts. The contents of the KyANA blog, such as text, graphics, images, and other material are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the KyANA blog. The KyANA reserves the right to reject any blog post or comment for any reason.

NYC on the ground - As one of the healthcare workers here in NYC, I hear about a multitude of experiences. We share hotels with fellow workers and we have friends from home working alongside us. For the sake of anonymity, I want to bring these stories together to paint a picture of the NYC ICUs.

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New York 4/14/2020 Samantha Heavrin

KyANA CRNAs on the COVID-19 Front lines in the HotSpots
Disclaimer:  KyANA does not endorse or sponsor the content within blog posts. KyANA shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use information contained within posts. The contents of the KyANA blog, such as text, graphics, images, and other material are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the KyANA blog. The KyANA reserves the right to reject any blog post or comment for any reason.

4/14/2020

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New York 4/13/2020 Samantha Heavrin

KyANA CRNAs on the COVID-19 Front lines in the HotSpots
Disclaimer:  KyANA does not endorse or sponsor the content within blog posts. KyANA shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use information contained within posts. The contents of the KyANA blog, such as text, graphics, images, and other material are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the KyANA blog. The KyANA reserves the right to reject any blog post or comment for any reason.

 

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New York 4/13/2020 Samantha Heavrin

KyANA CRNAs on the COVID-19 Front lines in the HotSpots
Disclaimer:  KyANA does not endorse or sponsor the content within blog posts. KyANA shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use information contained within posts. The contents of the KyANA blog, such as text, graphics, images, and other material are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the KyANA blog. The KyANA reserves the right to reject any blog post or comment for any reason.

Post edited by KyANA to remove identifying companies and names. If you are interested in information about the specific companies, please email [email protected] to have Samantha Heavrin contact you directly with information.  

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New York 4/12/2020 Samantha Heavrin

KyANA CRNAs on the COVID-19 Front lines in the HotSpots
Disclaimer:  KyANA does not endorse or sponsor the content within blog posts. KyANA shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use information contained within posts. The contents of the KyANA blog, such as text, graphics, images, and other material are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the KyANA blog. The KyANA reserves the right to reject any blog post or comment for any reason.

Day 8: Julep Dreams.  It’s April in NYC. Friday night. Salle and I are off today. We awoke early and uber’d to an intermediate care center. We wanted to be the first people in the facility. There are 2 places you don’t want to be in NYC, a hospital and an Urgent Care Center. Our day off started with one of those two. The reason, thank God, was not illness related. We actually needed to do drug tests. Our deployment to NYC was so expedited that the drug screenings followed the deployment.

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New York 4/10/2020 Samantha Heavrin

KyANA CRNAs on the COVID-19 Front lines in the HotSpots
Disclaimer:  KyANA does not endorse or sponsor the content within blog posts. KyANA shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use information contained within posts. The contents of the KyANA blog, such as text, graphics, images, and other material are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the KyANA blog. The KyANA reserves the right to reject any blog post or comment for any reason.

Day 8: Great Honor. It’s been a long few days in the hospital. Today, we left our units with sweaty, tired bodies that ached from head to toe. As we made our way outside the hospital, we were met with the 7pm Thank You. I’m sure many of you know that everyday at 7pm, the city stops and cheers for the healthcare workers. New Yorkers open their windows to shout and cheer! The firemen and policemen turn on their sirens. They bang pots and flicker lights. They beep horns and ring church bells. It feels like the whole world stops for us. It’s absolutely positively overwhelming. Standing at our exit was the fire department. And they clapped as we walked out. We were being cheered by the exact same station that answered the call on 9/11. These men were there that day. And, their losses were unimaginable. It’s one thing to read about it, it’s something entirely different when they are standing in front of you clapping. It was surreal to watch these hero’s give us thanks. I looked at them and I knew I was looking at the faces of courage. How could I ever be deserving of their thanks? I cannot express the honor I feel at this moment. I am grateful to be in this incredible city. I am happy to serve and even happier to be amongst such incredible people.God Bless New York 

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New York 4/9/2020 Samantha Heavrin

KyANA CRNAs on the COVID-19 Front lines in the HotSpots
Disclaimer:  KyANA does not endorse or sponsor the content within blog posts. KyANA shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use information contained within posts. The contents of the KyANA blog, such as text, graphics, images, and other material are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the KyANA blog. The KyANA reserves the right to reject any blog post or comment for any reason.

Day 7: God’s Love.  Today, I entered the hospital at 6:45am. I’m finally getting a feel for where I am but, I’m still unsure of the day....Wednesday? I travel past the mash tents thinking it’s almost time. Just a few more days and we will be filling those tents with patients. So much drama and crisis. Very few good outcomes.....until today.The only thing sadder than an ICU patient, is two family members in the same ICU. We’ve been caring for an uncle and his nephew. It’s been tragic to hear the family’s distress. Two loved ones, fighting for their lives and not knowing if they will pull thru. Both patients were sedated and intubated and critical when I arrived this week. Yesterday, the nephew was improving and was able to successfully wean from the ventilator. Today, he remained stable for the entire shift! I was thrilled to escort him to a non-ICU bed on another floor! He is surviving covid! As you all know, I am a believer! I know the power of prayer and love! And, I have seen it first hand!

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New York 4/8/2020 Samantha Heavrin

KyANA CRNAs on the COVID-19 Front lines in the HotSpots
Disclaimer:  KyANA does not endorse or sponsor the content within blog posts. KyANA shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use information contained within posts. The contents of the KyANA blog, such as text, graphics, images, and other material are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the KyANA blog. The KyANA reserves the right to reject any blog post or comment for any reason.

Day 6: Covid Care Lessons

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New York 4/5/2020 Samantha Heavrin

KyANA CRNAs on the COVID-19 Front lines in the HotSpots
Disclaimer:  The contents of the KyANA Blog, such as text, graphics, images and other material are for informational purposes only.  KyANA does not endorse or sponsor the content within blog posts. KyANA shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use information contained within posts.  The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.  Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.  Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the KyANA Blog. 

Day 5: Back to the Trenches  Late last night, Salle McAfee and I were assigned to a private NYC hospital. The drive was eerie. We passed scores of high end stores that I would otherwise be salivating over: Tory Burch, Macy’s, Barney’s, Giorgio Armani. But, now all of those stores are closed. The streets are empty; devoid of traffic and people.Thru my window, I saw beautiful Central Park. It has changed too. The park, where runners and dog walkers once roamed, has been transformed. The green landscape is obstructed by a sterilized white mountain of waiting mash tents.As we enter the hospital, I can imagine it’s former stateliness. The ceilings rise high above multiple floors, illuminated by a rising sun as it shines thru the glass arches. And here, amid the once sprawling foyer stands a military deployment of mash units. Not one, not ten...hundreds. Every hallway, nook and cranny has been inhabited. It is a hospital within a hospital.Across the city, these mash units have been assembled with military swiftness and efficiency. We are waiting for the peak. One week? 9 days? It’s like standing on a shoreline awaiting the tsunami that stirs on the horizon.As we travel to our assigned critical care units, we pass the former med-surg floors. These floors have seen a metamorphosis. They no longer house anyone who is not covid positive. These are all now critical care units. And, these units are staffed with every available able-bodied healthcare provider.A floor that once held gastrointestinal patients has become a covid ICU. The nursing team came from backgrounds in home health, oncology, neurology and cardiac.The single rooms have become doubles. OR anesthesia machines are running nonstop on the left side of the rooms for patient A. Traditional ventilators with monitors sit on the right side of the rooms and assist patient B. Both sets of equipment are pushed into their corresponding corners to maximize space.Crnas do whatever is needed. We staff alongside the nurses. We assist in training non-ICU prepared teams. We work on intubation teams. Nothing is below us and we can rise across a paradigm of job descriptions.Every unit has a medical team. My team today was led by an Anesthesiologist turned Intensivist. She was assisted by residents who intended to be in other rotations or specialties but found themselves on the front line of covid. It’s all hands on deck. There’s a sense of organized chaos in this hospital. I can feel the anticipation in the air, it’s a mixture a fear and determination.I look at my alien world and I struggle to understand how we ever got here. Where did we go wrong?Is this a sardonic slap in the face by evolution? A Godly reminder of our place in the heavenly hierarchy? Either way, we are here. This is our new reality, at least for a time. We can choose to cower or to stand strong.I choose to stand. By Sam and Salle

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New York 4/4/2020 Samantha Heavrin

KyANA CRNAs on the COVID-19 Front lines in the HotSpots
Disclaimer:  KyANA does not endorse or sponsor the content within blog posts. KyANA shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use information contained within posts. The contents of the KyANA blog, such as text, graphics, images, and other material are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the KyANA blog. The KyANA reserves the right to reject any blog post or comment for any reason.

Day 4: Getting Real! I started these posts for my family. I wanted to offer them insight and to give them a glimpse of our journey in the war against covid. I discovered that my friends and coworkers were sequestered at home, desperate for an understanding in this new world. So they have been reading my posts too. I have to say that I am honored to have anyone read what I write. Thank you to anyone who wants to share my posts. I cannot imagine any higher praise. As most of you know, I have switched deployments from a nursing based public hospital system to an anesthesia team for a group of private hospitals. Over the next few weeks, I intend to share my experiences. Be prepared to read scary and upsetting information. I’m not intending to sugar coat this story. I believe that we are starving for facts. Our greatest fear is of the unknown. If we can illuminate the covid beast then we can face him fearlessly. I intend to educate my fellow crnas on current practices in covid infested situations. I want the rest of my crna family to be prepared. Most importantly, I want everyone to know that we can no longer hide behind false comforts. We are NYC. We will be exactly where they are today, in a matter of weeks? Months? Nobody knows! We must be prepared! Now that I have probably scared my family to death, I want to add a caveat. We can win this war. Thru all of the death and destruction and financial ruin, we will overcome. I believe in every one of us. We have what it takes to survive! Now to business.... Today we met with our fearless Anesthesia leader, who from now on will be known as Dr. Awesome (Dr. A for short). Salle and I went to his suite where he has boxes of supplies for us. We received ppe, snacks, backpacks and a ‘gym in a bag’ for in-room workouts! Today, there are a dozen of us in this hotel. Within the week, we will number over 100-150! Our jobs will vary from intubation teams to icu management to line placement. Today Salle and I are resting. I brought a bunch of reference books and we are reviewing them. For those of you who don’t know, the medical field of information is so broad that picking up a book to refresh your knowledge is important from time to time. We have learned a great deal since we arrived from both our studies and from Dr. A. I’m going to share this information....

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