Medical Professionals saved countless lives at Boston Marathon
Publisher's note: As I put this article to print, my mind and fingers are numb. Only time will tell the final toll of victims and costs to the City of Boston. God bless the men and women who aided those in need and responded to this unspeakable horror.
Fox News: While today’s bombings have been devastating and tragic, I feel as though the hundreds of medical personnel, ambulances and medical tents set up for the marathon dramatically helped the situation.
With these types of injuries, the key is always time. By having numerous ambulances on standby for the race, many of the most critical patients were able to be transported to hospitals almost instantly.
Fortunately, there were trained medical personnel in the area, who were able to provide immediate first aid. In those medical tents, professional medics could potentially start emergency intravenous (IV) infusions to support some of the patients that were going into shock. One of the most important treatments for trauma of this kind is hydration.
“It helps increase your intravascular volume,” Dr. Doug Finefrock, vice chairman for the emergency trauma department at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, told FoxNews.com. “In fact in trauma cases, our first treatment is to rapidly hydrate the patient through IV hydration. It helps maintain their blood pressure, as the patient is being assessed for the need for a blood transfusion.”
Not only is hydration key during trauma cases, but emergency room doctors must also help maintain the patient’s oxygen flow.