911 Live On The Spot Continues!!
Some important insights provided by the gangrene case:
A. To amputate or not depends on whom one consults. An orthopedic surgeon would advise amputation as a solution to stop a severe infection whereas a vascular surgeon would focus on fighting the infection and preserving the arteries to save the limb rather than to amputate.
B. In the event where amputation is necessary, do not be frightened by what the surgeon recommends. Also, do not stop at just one opinion as different orthopedic surgeons would recommend different extent of amputation based on their diagnosis of the degree of infection.
C. There are medical equipment which are able to quickly assess whether the arteries to the infected limb are intact. This helps to determine if the limb is salvageable. In this case, the healee also consulted a hyperbaric oxygen therapist. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is one method that can help to reverse or mitigate a gangrene condition. However, according to the therapist, it is irreversible if the infection has spread to the bone.
D. In a 911 situation, time is of essence and being attended to promptly, increases rate of survival and/or prevents further deterioration of a critical condition. From the healee's experience in this case, he had to wait for over 5 hours at one hospital vs prompt attention at another hospital.
911 Live On The Spot Continues!!
Some important insights provided by the gangrene case:
A. To amputate or not depends on whom one consults. An orthopedic surgeon would advise amputation as a solution to stop a severe infection whereas a vascular surgeon would focus on fighting the infection and preserving the arteries to save the limb rather than to amputate.
B. In the event where amputation is necessary, do not be frightened by what the surgeon recommends. Also, do not stop at just one opinion as different orthopedic surgeons would recommend different extent of amputation based on their diagnosis of the degree of infection.
C. There are medical equipment which are able to quickly assess whether the arteries to the infected limb are intact. This helps to determine if the limb is salvageable. In this case, the healee also consulted a hyperbaric oxygen therapist. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is one method that can help to reverse or mitigate a gangrene condition. However, according to the therapist, it is irreversible if the infection has spread to the bone.
D. In a 911 situation, time is of essence and being attended to promptly, increases rate of survival and/or prevents further deterioration of a critical condition. From the healee's experience in this case, he had to wait for over 5 hours at one hospital vs prompt attention at another hospital.