Page 15 - 2016 Nursing Annual Report | Summa Health

“We formed those relationships with her family. It was “You really felt like we were a
the nurses who struggled with them, cried with them, priority. If we needed a room
held their hand through the process and when she was to talk, they got us one.
getting better, they got her in the chair and gave her the They were meticulous
motivation to keep moving forward.” and gave her every
chance to survive.”
Sansom doesn’t remember much of her care, but said she
does remember nurses going out of their way to give her
and her family everything they needed.

“I was told one of the nurses wanted to wash my hair, so
they went across the street to the drugstore so I could
have my hair washed with regular shampoo. They were
just great,” she said.

Sansom’s mother-in-law Linda said the care went above Shannon Sansom, ECMO patient
and beyond. “They answered all our questions, but didn’t
lead us down a false path. We knew she was very sick.
There aren’t enough words to say for what they did. They
let us know they cared and at that time in our lives, we
really needed that support.

“You really felt like we were a priority. If we needed a room
to talk, they got us one. They were meticulous and gave
her every chance to survive.”

“ECMO is a therapy that helps hopeless cases and it
works,” said Protain. “We have given people back their
lives.”

Summa Health used ECMO on 21 patients in 2016 and
are expecting to utilize it on 25-30 patients this year.
In addition to our highly skilled nurses, ECMO relies on
Michael Firstenberg, MD, cardiothoracic
surgeon and Director of the ECMO program,
and staff in perfusion and respiratory therapy.

“The nursing staff have really embraced it.
They encourage its growth and want to
learn about it,” said Protain.

2016 Nursing Annual Report 15