“Un'infermiera di YNHH” saves a life

Kristyn Melsenti, RN, isn’t fluent in Italian, but knowing how to say “I’m a nurse” in the language recently allowed her to save the life of a total stranger.

Melsenti, patient services manager of Yale New Haven Hospital’s Pre-op and Post Anesthesia Care Units, was on vacation in Naples, Italy, in July with her husband, Max, and their four children. One morning they visited a bakery for breakfast, but it was full, so they crossed the street to check another bakery.

“I saw a crowd of people around a man who was face down on the sidewalk,” Melsenti said. “I could see that his condition was extremely serious.”

No one in the crowd was doing anything, so Melsenti left her children with Max and went into “nurse mode.” When she tried to turn the man over and a police officer stopped her, she said in Italian, “Sono un’infermiera” – “I’m a nurse.” The officer helped her turn the man over and Melsenti began CPR. After two minutes, she felt a pulse, but it stopped. Melsenti resumed compressions and by the time the ambulance arrived the man was breathing.

In a video her husband shared, Melsenti spoke a few words to first responders, then went back to her family as the man was put in an ambulance. It wasn’t until she returned from the trip that she realized the full magnitude of her actions.

“My friend told me, ‘What you showed your kids that day they’ll remember forever,’” Melsenti said.

This is the first time she has had to perform CPR outside of work, but she didn’t hesitate. “I’ve never been so proud to be an American,” Melsenti said. “We’re not afraid to jump in and do whatever is necessary.”

She said the positive comments she’s received from people throughout YNHH, particularly her co-workers, have been overwhelming.

“Everyone has been so kind. But I know that anyone else on my unit would have done the same thing.”