Pediatric Patient with Crouzon Syndrome describes how a Vascular Wellness nurse clinician provided compassionate, holistic care to a fearful pediatric DIVA (Difficult Intravenous Access) patient with Crouzon syndrome and helped the patient overcome procedure-induced anxiety.
Pediatric Patient with Crouzon Syndrome
– Clinical Case
Mina, a six-year-old DIVA patient with Crouzon syndrome who developed procedure-induced anxiety from failed vascular access, faced another round of surgeries. Crouzon syndrome is a genetic disorder characterized by the premature fusion of certain skull bones (craniosynostosis). This early fusion prevents the skull from growing normally and affects the shape of the head and face. Many features of Crouzon syndrome result from the premature fusion of the skull bones. Crouzon patients often require multiple surgeries to accommodate brain growth, and with each surgery, patients require vascular access. Veins are not renewable resources, and because of Mina’s necessary treatments and frequent venous access, her veins only allowed for a limited source of entry. Multiple sticks can be traumatic for any patient but particularly for pediatric patients. Unfortunately, during previous procedures, Mina suffered through a series of failed access attempts and, as a result, developed procedure-induced anxiety. With her next surgery on schedule, her parents looked for a more compassionate, sustainable solution.
Pediatric Patient with Crouzon Syndrome
– Diagnosis and Treatment
Mina’s family was already familiar with Vascular Wellness, so they reached out to schedule a consultation. After a short consultation, a clinician was scheduled to arrive at Mina’s home the morning of her surgery. On the day of Mina’s surgery, the clinician arrived at the family home and spent the first part of her visit getting to know Mina and her parents. She wanted to understand the family’s difficult journey and Mina’s past experiences to ensure she addressed her medical and psychological needs. Once the clinician established a connection with Mina and her parents, she focused on explaining the procedure and addressing her fears. In addition, she gave Mina some control over her procedure. Mina became a part of the team. She let her use the ultrasound machine, and she helped select the best vein for her access. The team placed the IV on the first stick. The nurse clinician did have to use some magic spray to numb the area before the insertion, but Mina granted her permission to do so. She also told her parents that the line should last the entire hospital stay so she wouldn’t have to be stuck twice. During the follow-up with Mina’s parents, it was confirmed that the IV did indeed last throughout the entire hospital admission. Additionally, upon presenting to the pre-surgical staff, the nurses and anesthesiologists were delighted to discover they would not have to put the child through a difficult IV start process like that which occurred in previous surgeries.
Vascular Access Experts
– Key Points
Obtaining vascular access in an anxious pediatric DIVA patient requires highly skilled, experienced clinicians who are experts in the field and capable of providing care that addresses the patient’s psychological and medical needs. When a pediatric DIVA patient, like Mina, has already suffered failed access sometime in the recent or distant past, our clients and patients can depend on our team to deliver. In this clinical case, like many others, Mina and her family needed a therapeutic conversation before her procedure. We are not a transactional provider, which means we incorporate holistic, patient-centric care as part of our medical services. At Vascular Wellness, holistic means comprehensive care. We take the time to understand the patient and family’s needs and desires, explain what options are available for placement and how we, as experts, achieve the best results. We address the patient’s fears and concerns by building relationships that bridge the gap between their past experiences and their current medical needs. We place the right line at the right time, the first time. Thankfully, Mina’s parents knew not to take vascular access for granted and had enough prior experience to call the experts at Vascular Wellness for Mina’s upcoming surgeries.
The expertise of the Vascular Access team not only prevented Mina from having to endure another traumatic IV access experience but also reduced her time in the hospital and expedited her procedure. Furthermore, our reputation as vascular access experts has gained the respect of healthcare institutions, and we are a trusted provider within the healthcare community. When Mina arrived at the hospital with her IV already in place, the pre-surgical staff, nurses, and the anesthesiologist were relieved knowing that they could depend on an IV placed by Vascular Wellness (a vascular access company whose clinicians are certified and credentialed at many hospitals) and would not have to start a difficult IV on a traumatized pediatric DIVA patient. Although our reputation rests on our commitment to timely, successful vascular access and holistic patient care, our services’ impact extends beyond the clinician-patient relationship and benefits all stakeholders.
Mina’s family reached out to the leadership team at Vascular Wellness to share their experience and gratitude…
“Mina has already endured close to 30 surgeries and will need several more to thrive and live her best life. We needed to find a vascular access solution that would keep Mina at home longer and shorten her hospital stay. Connecting with the team at Vascular Wellness was one of the best decisions we made for Mina’s journey. The nurses at Vascular Wellness are experts that provide mobile bedside service, but they are also compassionate and made Mina feel comfortable with the procedure. We are beyond grateful that they were able to keep Mina calm and relaxed while inserting her catheter.”
“We were so impressed with not only professionalism and knowledge during Mina’s in-home access, but we were also impressed with the way they dressed the line for her transportation to the hospital. They even checked with the team at the hospital to make sure Mina’s recovery was progressing as expected. In addition, the staff at the hospital was delighted to know Mina’s line was already placed by the team at Vascular Wellness.”
Nurse Clinicians in Action is a spotlight series highlighting some of the interesting cases that Vascular Wellness clinicians have encountered and participated in treatment. These cases involve challenging situations or intriguing clinical presentations and may involve more than one Vascular Wellness clinician, as our clinicians have the ability to consult each other while in the field, as well as an on-call Clinical Administrator via a HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability) compliant communication app. In addition, our extensive training program and diverse client base, including Level 1 Trauma Centers, Short Term Acute Care Hospitals, Long Term Acute Care Hospitals, and Skilled Nursing Facilities, provide our clinicians with a wide array of clinical experience and why we believe our clinicians, as a group, are the most experienced and best trained and supported vascular access clinicians.
If you require Vascular Access or want to learn more, speak to the team at Vascular Wellness today. For the latest articles and insights, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
Vascular Wellness provides:
(1) Comprehensive vascular access services to North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia; and
(2) Customized vascular access services to Tennessee, Georgia, and West Virginia; and
(3) Support vascular access services to Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky.
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Patient cases highlight some of the interesting Nurse Clinicians in Action cases that Vascular Wellness clinicians have encountered and participated in treatment.
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