Helpless, Helpless Helpless Helpless . . .

Att: Burn Centers -- Emergency treatment needed for burn patients and patients with compartment syndrome. If you can accept peds or adult patients please call Mark Kleiman 310 306-8094 or 310 709-8924. Stef can try to arrange life flight to Miami if you can transport and accept

0600 -- (Pacific Time) Stef texts me with news of an otherwise healthy 13 y/o burn patient with 3rd degree burns over 30% of his body. He is becoming septic and needs to have his wounds surgically debrided (the dead tissue removed.) This requires blood for transfusions, and other material they do not have.

The Navy will not treat him, but will life flight him to Miami. Stef wants to know if I can get the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles to accept him.

0615-- I call Grossman Burn Center and get their answering service, which will not call any of the M.D.s.

0630-- I call one of the hospitals the Burn Center uses-- San Joaquin Community Hospital. The nurse manager for the burn center will not be in until 8 and whoever answers the phone declines to reach her.

0700 -- I have found the nurse manager on Linked In and Facebook and email her twice.

0720 -- I find one of the burn surgeons on Facebook and email her.

0800 -- I call the nurse manager and get her voicemail. I page her and she calls me back at 8:15. She cannot help and redirects me to the Burn Center office.

0830 -- I call the burn center office -- again. They are helpful, but the docs are in surgery.

They will get a recommendation and relay it to Stef.

0900 -- U.S. military is life-flighting him now.