Heroes, hospitals and helicopters: Cardiac care at 20,000 feet

Everyone knows physicians save lives in hospitals. That’s where they do most of their work. But the story of my daughter’s medical emergency is a little different. How she survived a medical flight from Iowa City, Iowa, to Boston is straight out of MacGyver! Caroline was born with primary pulmonary venous stenosis (PVS), a dangerous disease that took her brother Benjamin’s life. [T]he nurses were trying everything to keep her stable. The flight team desperately needed guidance. When she was just over a month old, Caroline was flown to the Boston Children’s Hospital Heart Center for treatment. She spent eight weeks in the hospital before we took her home to Iowa. Two months later, Caroline developed a suspected recurrence of PVS and needed emergent care again in Boston. My wife Maleia and I did everything we could to save Caroline’s life. Maleia joined Caroline in the medical transport, and our race against the clock began. Caroline’s first flight had gone very smoothly, but this one would be different. About 45 minutes after takeoff, something with Caroline changed. The flight nurses weren’t exactly sure what had happened, but they knew they needed help — fast. Caroline’s blood oxygen levels were decreasing, and her carbon dioxide levels were rising, both of which are very dangerous. She wasn’t responding to the ventilator anymore, and the nurses were trying everything to keep her stable. The flight team desperately needed guidance. Life-saving ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Cardiac Intensive Care Unit Dr. John Kheir Heart Center PVS Source Type: news