Cardiac Surgery Team Cares for Second Young Patient

Ben Gilliland and his parents, Mike and Pennie, are joined by Lara Coakley, RN, back left, and Cindy Weiffenbach, RN, back right.

Almost a year after caring for the first pediatric patient to undergo coronary bypass surgery at BWH, a multidisciplinary team came together again to care for a young patient.

“After our first patient, Cassidy Brown, we had a plan in place that allowed us to pull resources together at a moment’s notice and meet the needs of our second patient,” said Nurse Educator Maria Bentain-Melanson, MSN, RN, CCRN, CSC, of the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit.

And that quick response made quite a difference for 12-year-old Ben Gilliland, who needed surgery much faster than Cassidy.

“Ben’s case was more acute and required quicker actions since stress and cath lab tests showed his heart was working extra hard because of inflamed blood vessels,” said cardiac surgeon Prem Shekar, MD, who performed surgery on both patients.

The surgery is not typically performed on patients so young, but Cassidy and Ben were diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease, a rare condition that involves inflammation of the blood vessels and mainly affects children under 5.

A multidisciplinary team of respiratory therapists, physicians, pharmacists, nurses, social workers and others made sure that the right team of caregivers were available to meet Ben’s needs.

“It was a privilege to be part of this team that made a difference for Ben,” said Lara Coakley, RN, who cared for Ben after surgery.

The BWH team had even connected Ben and his family with Cassidy’s family prior to his surgery.

“The Browns told us what to expect every step of the way and even named the people who were going to take care of Ben,” said his mother, Pennie Gilliland. “That was very comforting.”

Ben said that he and Cassidy talked about how the surgery has changed her life. “She said that were a few things that hurt, but overall I should be fine and will feel a lot better after the surgery,” said Ben, who loves sports, especially baseball, where he excels as a right handed pitcher.