Five-year old Jeroy started feeling poorly in September, catching a bug from his younger brother, Jarel. Jarel quickly felt better, but Jeroy eventually had a fever of 104 degrees. To complicate matters, Jeroy has asthma, which increased his chances in becoming infected with the H1N1 (swine) flu.
That was enough to make his pediatrician and his parents, Ana and Wilmer, worry about the H1N1 epidemic. Sure enough, on a Sunday, Jeroy was transported from Silver Spring, MD, via ambulance to Children’s National Medical Center’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Doctors and nurses examined Jeroy and determined that his lungs were bleeding as a result of the virus, and his breathing was very labored. His respiratory failure was so severe that the care team in the PICU was worried about Jeroy’s chances for survival.
“We were terrified and scared that our son would not make it,” said Ana.
Jeroy spent 18 days at Children’s National. Since his breathing problems were so severe, he was immediately placed on a ventilator (breathing machine). While the vast majority of H1N1 infections are not severe, a few are and those infections can be very damaging to the lungs. “He needed to go on a breathing machine so we could help make sure the oxygen got into his lungs,” said David Stockwell, MD, medical director of the PICU. “In a serious case like this, it is standard procedure to use a breathing tube and ventilator to provide respiratory support.”
Today, Jeroy has no memories of his time in the hospital and is back to his active self. “The people at Children’s National don’t work for a salary; they work for love,” said Wilmer.
In October, both the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Children’s National received the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence, an award given by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. The award recognizes the nation’s top pediatric, progressive, and adult critical care units across a multitude of hospitals for their commitment to high-quality critical care standards and dedication to the exceptional care of patients and their families.
Children’s National Medical Center is the first hospital in the nation to have two pediatric units receive the award at the same time.
“We are very excited to be recognized for our commitment to excellence,” said Janeane Walker, MSN, RN, CPN, CCRN, a professional practice specialist in the PICU and CICU. “Through teamwork and collaboration between attendings, nurses, and staff, we are able to provide the best environment and outcomes for our patients.”
Five-year old Jeroy started feeling poorly in September, catching a bug from his younger brother, Jarel. Jarel quickly felt better, but Jeroy eventually had a fever of 104 degrees. To complicate matters, Jeroy has asthma, which increased his chances in becoming infected with the H1N1 (swine) flu. 
