A&M story
WAHowland@AOL.COM
Sat, 4 Dec 1999 16:20:23 EST
>>begin quote
<snip>
... was directing the teams to other students trapped in the stack. He kept
telling them that he
was O.K., and he directed rescuers to at least five other students before he
allowed them to take him down from the stack.
He was taken into emergency surgery, and when they opened him up they found
his organs so badly damaged that they couldn't identify much of what they
saw. They closed him up, wrapped him in a sheet to hold him together, and
placed on life support. He lived long enough to see and speak to his
parents. He was aware that he was dying and asked to be removed from life
support. ..
<<end quote
I deeply regret having to say this, but as an old ICU clinical specialist I
have to tell you that this is not possible. Anyone who has injuries as severe
as that description does not have the ability to direct anyone's actions. And
if s/he goes to the OR, is opened up and found to be irreparable and is
placed on life support s/he is not able to speak to anyone, because s/he is
intubated and on a ventilator (that's an integral part of "life support"),
and likely sedated or otherwise comatose either from lack of blood flow to
brain, anesthesia agents, or both. We also don't wrap people in a sheet to
hold them together. And no one of 17 who is mentating enough to make such an
inspirational statement would be removed from "life support" in any competent
hospital.
Look, I'm not trying to decrease the inspirational intent of the story or the
reputation of the Scout in question. I'm absolutely sure he was a wonderful
boy who will be missed by all who knew him.
There are all sorts of scenarios I can envision that would start with a
seriously injured teenager who was initially awake & alert, was taken to the
OR for multiple internal injuries & multiple severe long-bone fractures, and
who was at some later time determined to be brain-dead and was therefore
removed from life support. (And except for prolonged cardiac arrest with
prolonged unsuccessful resucutation efforts, also a possibility here, brain
death is the only condition that would allow "removal from life support.")
But a description of events as given misleads people into thinking that
things like this actually occur in the trauma units & OR's of this country.
We try a good deal harder than that. Let's not let this tragedy spawn a whole
new round of medical "urban legend"-quality material.
<sigh> <<flameproofies on>>
YiS
Auntie Beans
SA T47 Sandwich MA
Cape Cod & Islands Council
Abake MiSaNaKi Lodge #393
NSJ 1997 Nat'l Health & Safety and going in 01!
I useta be an Eagle...
<wahowland@iname.com>
