b'CONCORD HOSPITAL ANNUAL REPORT | COVID-19 RESPONSE 29A UNIQUE VANTAGE POINT ON CAREDr. Samuel AldridgeAs a Concord Hospital surgeon, Dr. Samuel Aldridge knew all about extra precautions he, his colleagues and the Hospital were taking to protect staff and patients from COVID-19.Then, in early April, with the pandemic still in its early, uncertain stage, he benefited as a patient from the precautions that helped the Hospital care safely for patients needing emergency care.Dr. Aldridge, of Concord Hospital Vascular Surgery, began feeling ill on his drive to work one morning. He believed he had contracted the virus, so when he arrived, he went to the Hospitals Emergency Department to inquire about being tested in the newly erected testing tent outside.When X-rays, laboratory tests and a physical exam showed no obvious illnesses, he was advised to isolate at home for several days while awaiting COVID-19 test results. That evening, he began having abdominal pain and suspected he might have appendicitis. At about the same time, the Hospital called to report testing showed bacteria in his blood, another sign of the condition.Back at the Hospital, further testing that evening showed he had a perforated appendix, which Dr. Peter Wilson of Concord Surgical Associates removed the next morning. Dr. Aldridge was discharged after a day and a half, but was readmitted overnight several days later because of complications from antibiotics. Needing an emergency procedure during the pandemic raised two issuesthe procedure itself and potential exposure to COVID-19. As for the procedure and follow-up care, Dr. Aldridge was confident he was in the good hands of trusted and respected colleagues.I felt more comfortable because I knew the skill set of everybody who was working on me, he said. They all are excellent and the care I received was excellent.Being aware of the COVID-19 precautions, and having practiced them himself while treating patients, helped ease concerns about the virus.I had already made peace with the environment, Dr. Aldridge said.I was like an undercover agent almost, coming in as a surgeon and seeing it from the patient side, he said. Nothing I saw gave me any cause to be unsettled or to lack confidence in the organization. I already had an insiders view of the precautions, which probably helped me face it with more confidence.Dr. Aldridge said his biggest relief came when he learned he did not have COVID-19 and hadnt exposed his colleagues, patients or wife. Everybody in my world was relieved I only had appendicitis, he joked. Ive never known so many people to be happy that I had a perforated appendix. His main concern was for his busy vascular surgery partners. Mostly, I just wanted to get back to work, which he did, after eight days.Dr. Aldridge said he knows, from the perspective of providers taking precautions and as a patient who received safe, excellent care, as a result of those precautions, that the Hospital is prepared to care for patients as the pandemic continues. Dont be afraid to come in, because well take the appropriate steps to protect you from cross-contamination and exposure, while we are rendering health care, he said. Dont let the pandemic keep you from doing the right thing.'