{"id":5278,"date":"2021-04-08T16:41:27","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T16:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=5278"},"modified":"2023-08-17T15:40:51","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T15:40:51","slug":"durham-icu-nurse-reflects-on-covid-definitely-not-out-of-the-woods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2021\/04\/08\/durham-icu-nurse-reflects-on-covid-definitely-not-out-of-the-woods\/","title":{"rendered":"Durham ICU nurse reflects on COVID: ‘Definitely not out of the woods’"},"content":{"rendered":"
KC Cherveny, a Duke Regional Hospital ICU nurse, knows it\u2019s time to intubate critical COVID-19 patients long before medical test results say so.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cYou can see it in their face, and you can see it in their whole body,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n
A year into the pandemic, Cherveny has learned all too much. She started speaking louder to be heard through astronaut-like protective hoods, heeded advice to take time for herself and found a way to handle so much death.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
But among the many lessons and traumas, the moments before intubation linger most in her mind. She can\u2019t count the number of times she\u2019s assisted with this last-ditch step to try to save people from COVID-19.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Patients frequently ask if they really need a tube inserted into their airway so a ventilator can breath for them.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cThe answer is always yes,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Often Cherveny\u2019s next step is connecting with their family, on an iPad.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s hard when they’re basically saying goodbye to their loved ones and sometimes they may not know that,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n
As people getting vaccines makes things start to feel more normal, Cherveny has a message for those who can\u2019t see inside a hospital ICU: \u201cWe’re definitely not out of the woods yet.\u201d<\/p>\nKC Cherveny, right, with fellow Duke Regional Hospital nurses Claudette Suiter, middle, and Melanie Campbell. To help nurses cope with the many deaths they’ve witnessed during the pandemic, Cherveny started a support group in Duke Regional’s intensive care unit. Photo courtesy of Duke Health<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n