First-Year Medical Student Receives Good Catch Award from VA Boston Healthcare System

On June 22, Vincent Sollitto, a first-year medical student at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, received a Good Catch Award from the VA Boston Healthcare System for his quick thinking in recognizing that a veteran who had come into the emergency department complaining of chest pains was having a heart attack.

Assigned to obtain an EKG, Sollitto, a student health technician in the Other Side of the Bed program, realized that the patient was having a STEMI (ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction), the occlusion of a major artery to the heart, and immediately notified the attending physician.

“Though his task was simply to obtain an EKG, he quickly recognized the ST elevations that indicated an acute coronary syndrome. Because of his diligence and quick action, the Veteran received reperfusion therapy in the cath lab within 45 minutes of the patient’s presentation to the ED,” said Michael Charness, MD, chief of staff for the VA Boston Healthcare System and a professor of neurology at the School.

Reperfusion therapy employs drugs, stents, and surgery to improve blood flow and increases chances of survival for patients with STEMI, but optimal results depend on restoration of blood flow within 90 minutes of presentation to the hospital.

The Good Catch Award was instituted in 2014 and is presented to staff members who report close calls or other patient safety concerns.

“By staying attentive to his work and clearly communicating his findings to the care team, Mr. Sollitto promoted patient safety and the best possible outcome for this Veteran,” said Charness.