Save of the Month! December 2013

Welcome to Save of the Month! where each month we recognize a resident who went above and beyond to make a great save in the ED. Nominations are solicited from the faculty each block and we pick one resident for recognition and embarrassment on this blog.

This month’s edition goes to . . . Dr. Hannah LoCascio!

Here’s the story . . .

LoCascio picks up a patient complaining of “dizziness.” He fainted around 3am after he got out of bed and urinated. He then got back into bed, but continued to feel dizzy. The patient mentioned that his girlfriend felt dizzy as well. Hannah made the dx of carbon monoxide poisoning. The patient’s carboxyl-Hb level = 15 and was transferred to the Bronx to take a dive. She also made sure that the girlfriend was evaluated (her level was 3) and called FDNY to have the building checked out.

She could have chalked the symptoms up to micturition syncope/vasovagal syncope, but LoCascio keyed in on the fact that the patient still felt dizzy and got the critical piece of hx that someone from the same environment had similar sxs.

Strong work and congrats!