Airway experts
As the delta variant caused a surge of patients with COVID-19 to be hospitalized at UF Health this summer, the department’s anesthetists redeployed to help. CRNAs and CAAs put their specialized skills and airway expertise to use on proning and intubation teams and helped provide high-level patient care in various intensive care units.
As airway experts with a wealth of experience intubating and positioning patients in operating rooms, the anesthetists were well-positioned to help with the influx of patients, and they rose to the challenge.
“I am very proud of all of those on our team who were willing to be redeployed,” said Francesca Massey, Chief CRNA, who coordinated the daily redeployments and kept close tabs on the CRNAs and CAAs.
Proning patients
One of the department’s most significant contributions during the surge was staffing a proning team. Each day, four to six anesthetists were deployed to the effort. Proning, which involves turning a patient from their back onto their stomach, has shown benefit in treating patients with COVID-19 by improving oxygenation.
Deploying anesthetists on the proning team helped the UF Health nursing staff manage the workload associated with the surge of hospitalized patients. Before the proning team was available, nurses had to track down a respiratory therapist and a physician; having a CRNA there negates the need for the respiratory therapist and physician to be present. Not only are anesthetists airway experts in the event of an accidental extubation during the movement of the patient, but they can also manage hemodynamics and ventilator settings.
Anesthetists helped keep patients on the correct flip schedule, avoiding delays from waiting for other busy medical professionals, which was important as the patient caseload surged. On many days throughout August and September, the proning team performed around 20 flips per day, with the number reaching as high as 35 flips on Sept. 5.
“All of the nurses were so appreciative of the help because it significantly reduced the amount of coordination they had to do,” said Lance Tabb, a CRNA who was involved in the discussion about creating the proning team from the outset and helped coordinate the effort. “We were able to help nurses get back to doing their daily care much faster.”
“I have not worked a shift and probably will not work a shift that allows me to use my skill set in a more helpful way”
A rewarding experience
Tabb said the experience was eye-opening. “Most of the hospital staff stays in their area and does not know truly what is happening on the COVID-19 units and the workload that nurses are facing,” he said. “It has been very fulfilling to be able to help.”
Anesthetists were also able to help with tasks such as drawing blood and placing intravenous and arterial catheters.
Jeremy McNeely, CRNA, who also took a lead role on the proning team, said it was rewarding to assist nurses during a highly challenging period.
“As a nurse anesthetist, having experience in the ICU, it isn’t hard to see how drained these nurses are,” he said. “Being able to provide them with a team that makes an incredibly daunting task such as proning a patient, twice during a single shift sometimes, an easier task was truly a great feeling. Fueled by gratitude from the nurses and staff members of these units, I think I speak for all members of the proning team that we were glad to help out and be a part of the UF Health team in any way.”
Will Hooghuis, CAA, said few opportunities have been more fulfilling.
“I have not worked a shift and probably will not work a shift that allows me to use my skill set in a more helpful way,” he said. “During a time of chaos, sadness, and defeat during the pandemic, our skill set quickly and safely positioned these critical patients.”
Our volunteers
A special thank you to all of the anesthetists who volunteered for these teams.
Proning
- Taylor Bennett, CAA
- David Biel, CAA
- Bruce Burdine, CAA
- Jessica Camp, CRNA
- Amber Finiels, CRNA
- Floyd Fleming, CRNA
- Taja Fricker, CRNA
- Samantha Gilchrist, CRNA
- Maggie Green, CAA
- Amanda Hernandez, CRNA
- William Hooghuis, CAA
- Morgan Landis, CAA
- Brenda Levesque, CRNA
- Jeremy McNeely, CRNA
- Linda Meade, CRNA
- John Muller, CRNA
- Michael Provost, CAA
- Dakota Quinn, CAA
- Rosalynn Solomon, CRNA
- Lance Tabb, CRNA
- John Tran, CRNA
- Ellese Zaleweski, CAA
Intubation/line service
- Taylor Bennett, CAA
- David Biel, CAA
- Bruce Burdine, CAA
- Adam Chartrand, CAA
- Amber Finiels, CRNA
- Samantha Gilchrist, CRNA
- Maggie Green, CAA
- Lynn Leonard, CAA
- Francesca Massey, Chief CRNA
- Linda Meade, CRNA
- Kimone Scott-Kotb, CRNA
- Rosalynn Solomon, CRNA
ICU/ED
- Jessica Camp, CRNA
- Jeremy McNeely, CRNA
- Linda Meade, CRNA
- John Muller, CRNA