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Good Catch Champion: Carolyn Hashemi

September 15, 2022

Carolyn Hashemi

Physical Therapist

St. Vincent’s Medical Center

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What happened:

A patient came to the Emergency Department with shortness of breath and left arm weakness. The patient was initially thought to have a pulmonary embolism, but this was ruled out following a chest CT. In evaluating the patient, Carolyn noticed specific stroke-like symptoms: left-arm weakness, facial droop and slurred speech. The family confirmed that none of these symptoms were the patient’s baseline. Carolyn stopped the line and immediately arched up her concerns. A Medical Emergency Team (MET) was called in and it was determined that the patient had suffered a stroke.

Safety behaviors demonstrated:

Carolyn’s discretionary effort resulted in this patient receiving the right care at the right time.