From left: Maryssa Tripoli, Christiana Dakoyannis and Liz Elefante.

When members of the Braunwald Tower 11ABD practice council planned a “resiliency night” at a Fenway restaurant in November, they hoped it would provide an opportunity for the approximately 20 Thoracic Intermediate Care Unit nurses who attended to bond outside of work. Instead, some of the nurses found themselves drawing on their skills and instincts to rescue someone in need — an unexpected turn of events that only strengthened their team’s connection.

The nurses were gathered around a table at the restaurant when Liz Elefante, BSN, RN, stepped away to use the restroom. She remembers hearing a “gasping” noise from a nearby stall. “As thoracic nurses, we’re pretty in tune with breathing,” she said. “The noise wasn’t sitting right with me. I kept yelling out, asking if everyone was OK.”

Not receiving a response, Elefante left the restroom to get her colleagues Maryssa Tripoli, BSN, RN, and Christiana Dakoyannis, BSN, RN.

“We walked into an almost-empty bathroom, and all you could hear was this agonal breathing,” said Dakoyannis, describing the way the woman was gasping. “We opened all of the doors and then knocked on the only locked door.”

The nearly floor-to-ceiling doors on the stall prevented the nurses from quickly identifying if someone was inside. When no one responded, Dakoyannis went into the next stall to peer over a small opening at the top. She saw a woman with her eyes closed, gasping for air.

The three nurses acted immediately, with Tripoli calling 911 and Elefante kicking the stall door open. “I just knew I needed to get it open, and it didn’t seem that hard in the moment,” she recalled.

Everyone quickly assumed a responsibility, just as they would in the hospital. “It felt like a very well-run code on our floor,” Elefante said.

Elefante started chest compressions, with Corinne Lazzaro, BSN, RN, joining and taking over for her after a few minutes.

“Someone got us an AED, and we applied it,” said Tripoli. “It was about 10 minutes of compressions, but it felt like time had stopped.”

Boston Fire Department arrived at that point and took over compressions until EMS was on site and placed the woman in an ambulance.

In looking back on the evening, Elefante was glad she acted on her instinct. “I think in nursing, we have such strong gut instincts, and this experience only solidified for me how important it is to trust them.”

The ability to trust and rely on each other was also critical to the team’s successful response during a very challenging situation.

“It was scary doing CPR on a bathroom floor,” said Tripoli. “Us all being there together made such a difference.”

Dakoyannis agreed, noting her appreciation for her co-workers and the resources available on Tower 11ABD.

“Our patients are very high acuity, and we have all the means necessary to save someone on our unit during a code,” she said. “At this restaurant, we didn’t have all of those things, but we did a pretty good job of maintaining until Boston Fire arrived. We felt so supported by all our colleagues who were there, popping in and out to help. Everyone was on the same team, and it worked out for this person’s benefit.”

Tower 11ABD Nursing Director Maureen Tapper, MSN, RN, said she was proud, but not surprised, of the team’s response. “The 11ABD team is a close-knit group that supports each other as they are caring for patients and families,” she said. “I’m so proud of their actions on Resiliency Night and every day and night on the unit.”