They became known as the Proning Team because one of their primary tasks was to gently lift patients and turn them from their backs — the supine position — to their stomachs — the prone position. Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, the team was integral to the care of the most critically ill patients at Princeton Medical Center (PMC).
Patients on ventilators are often placed in the prone position to improve oxygenation. However, keeping patients in one position for too long can cause facial edema, or swelling. The critical care unit (CCU) staff also needed safe ways to keep patients’ eyes closed when they were in the prone position.
Karen Sylvester, MSN, director of Patient Care Services, Emergency and Critical Care, enlisted the aid of wound care specialist Connie Johnson, RN, who not only shared her expertise but also offered to help the CCU staff when they needed to prone or reposition patients. She was soon joined by four OR technicians — Semaj Boyd, Thomas Harris, Christian Larbie, and O’Neil Simpson — who were available to be redeployed to the CCU while non-emergency surgeries were on hold.
At the height of the outbreak, the Proning Team seemed to be on hand seven days a week. The team worked closely with rotating anesthesiologists, who volunteered their expertise at intubating patients, other physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists.
Team members frequently watched videos, conducted research, and practiced their technique to reposition patients safely and comfortably. When patients recovered and were taken off the ventilator, they still could not receive outside visitors. Team members stepped into the gap, taking the time to sit with patients and offer a strong hand and a gentle voice of encouragement as they entered the next phase of recovery.
“This team is remarkable,” Sylvester said. “They do not have to do this. It’s not in any job description. They PPE up and step into a COVID-positive patient’s room risking exposure on a routine basis. They are our heroes!”