Down on new admits other then post-ops.

Actually just got up from an hour nap! We have been essentially down on new admits other then post-ops. It’s very cagie what cases come in so they can get medical personnel out. All rumors indicate this will be as early as possible, but we will see. The backlog is almost gone by the end of the day. We brought 20 on board for the last of the ortho procedures, and these are many re-do’s. We have dropped to 21 patients in the ICU. I have to say, though, that we have 15 paraplegics and quads moving up to ICU for wound care and respiratory therapy, so we will become a step down for neurologically injured tomorrow.

Haiti is balking at taking some of the head injured back. There’s really no place for them. Apparently the on shore places promise a lot, but are very limited—ie, power by generator for only 12 hours, no suction equipment, on and on. The pro-side for this is a 150-bed IMED intermediate care facility they are putting up on the ground, to be staffed by non-governmental organizations with help from us. I think John Perri is on the ground with it, not sure. Anyway, it’s the hope that they will allow us to off load and go. Getting patients back to the US is a challenge. We’re not getting many through the vetting process at the embassy.

Anyway, will try to see the Super Bowl today and keep working to get back ASAP!

About the Author

CAPT Dennis Amundson, MC, USN, FCCP

Chair of the ACCP Disaster Response NetWork

I was commissioned as ENS in the United States Navy in 1972, and my naval career has encompassed a variety of assignments and duties as a military physician. I have been deployed with the Seabees, the Marines, and with special operations forces in the global war on terrorism. I recently spent 6 months in Iraq as part of the Combined Land Force Coalition Command, functioning in the Iraqi Ministry of Health. A large portion of my job involved integrating humanitarian aide as well as civil/military interactions. These global experiences and my past experiences with international aide missions have certainly left their imprint and have been highlights in my career and my life. I have greatly enjoyed my experiences in the arenas of global health, disaster medicine, and humanitarian aide and continued in that area by earning a Master’s degree in Global Emergency Preparedness and Response.