Would Natasha Richardson survived if she would have been in US?

[damo]

People die every day in the USA and no doubt someone died today from a head injury, and probably even an epidural hematoma. What does that have to do with this discussion?

Well if people have died of it in the USA before, what makes you so absolutely certain that Natasha would not have died of it there?

 

[declansdad]

She probably would have survived in Montreal had she been conscious on arrival. Are you saying that the 90 minute delay getting to Montreal or the fact that the smaller hospital didn't have the ability to treat her head injury, had no impact on the outcome?

No I'm saying you can't make the blanket statement that she would have survived if she was in the US. The same thing many other have said on this thread, including people would work in ERs.

 

[TheZue]

I would assume that the hotel would have provided assistance because she is a paying guest, and a high profile paying guest, or which they are used to having. I have been in supermarkets during an emergency and the management assists the police, EMS and the family if there is one. That is a reasonable assumption.

I would hope so, but something just never sat right with me with their statements of "it was a totally normal tumble for a beginner" and "we called an ambulance". Something there just didn't fit together and it makes me question their credibility. But unfortunately the only person who could really tell us what happened without fear of being sued isn't here to tell us.

 

[DawnCt1]

In the ideal world this is true...but there are MANY small rural hospitals in the US that do not have neurosurgery access and have family practice MD's running the ED. Not to mention a CT scanner running 24 hours a day if they even have one. I have been a flight nurse for 5 years on a medical helicopter and prior to that worked in a level 1 trauma center in our area. You would be surprised on how many ED's are run by non ED trained physicians.

With a epidural head bleed, she had CLASSIC symptoms (in fact when I heard the news..I turned to my husband, also a flight paramedic, and we both said she had a epidural). By the time she started having sign of neurological changes, the damage was already beginning. She was too far away from someone that could do any type of intervention. The CT scanner wasn't going to save her life...the neurosurgeon was. You would be surprised how often this same scenario happens in the US!!

An EMS helicopter and its response team would know not to take a head trauma patient to a facility that wasn't able to treat the problem. The smaller hospital had what it had. EMS,knowing that they were responding to a head injury should have found the quickest way to Montreal and should have called for a medical helicopter. They did not. They were the weak link in the chain.

 

[basketrn]

An EMS helicopter and its response team would know not to take a head trauma patient to a facility that wasn't able to treat the problem. The smaller hospital had what it had. EMS,knowing that they were responding to a head injury should have found the quickest way to Montreal and should have called for a medical helicopter. They did not. They were the weak link in the chain.

Actually, she denied care initially..so I don't think the EMS was the weak link in the chain. We have no idea how she presented to the EMS when they returned, was the EMS EMT's or Paramedics. Nor do you know their protocols for calling for air transport. Nor do you know the flight times to the scene (EMS should NEVER sit and wait for a medical helicopter to arrive...they transport to nearest hospital). Its seems air transport in that area is a bit of a sore spot, so likely the EMS didn't have protocol to call.

Like I said before...this happens in your back door daily!! I see it ALL the time!!

 

[KathyTX]

Looks like some are trying to turn this into a political debate. This thread is now closed.