Volume 8 • 2021 • Issue 4

As preparation, Dr. Caminiti spent some time re-learning the ICU fundamentals, which he’d originally learned 25 years before as a primary resident. Dr. Caminiti’s maxillofacial surgery patients are infrequently in the ICU. “The pumps are all different now,” he says. “The hardest part is the documentation. Every hour, every two hours, every four When asked if his first-hand experience with COVID patients has changed his own perspective on the disease, Dr. Caminiti was reflective. “It has emphasized the remarkable randomness of the virus’ consequences,” he says. “Why are some people fine and others are seriously ill?” Among the patients that he cared for was a grandmother, whose young grandson was the first person in the family to become infected and was asymptomatic. “Then the other grandkids got it, and then their parents in their 50s, with hardly any symptoms,” he says. “But then both grandparents got it.” The grandmother was on a ventilator and her husband was in the ICU of another hospital; the prognosis for both was not good. “That really hit home for me. The virus is diabolic.” He says he is thankful for all the support from the ICU staff, nurses and to his colleagues and residents that allowed this great opportunity. hours, specific information needs to be entered into the records system.” Dr. Caminiti says that ICU nurses are very efficient at documentation, but he finds it still takes him time. For Dr. Caminiti, the most stressful part of working in the ICU is the noise, the constant alarms and beeps of the lines and ventilators. “The past few nights, I couldn't sleep because I kept hearing beeping and ringing all night,” he says. The grandkids got it, and then their parents in their 50s, with hardly any symptoms. But then both grandparents got it. The grandmother was on a ventilator and her husband was in the ICU of another hospital; the prognosis for both was not good. That really hit home for me. The virus is diabolic. Watch the full conversation with Dr. Caminiti : vimeo.com/546115975 I ssues and P eople 31 Issue 4 | 2021 |