by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on March 15, 2010
Dr. Agus, shown here with a Haitian resident, spent hours assembling this medical supply closet in the acute pediatrics tent.
by Michael Agus, MD, director of Children’s Medicine Critical Care Program. Agus is currently in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and sending us updates by email.
Day 7
There was a buzz around the hospital this morning that Hillary Clinton might visit, though it did not turn out to be true. It was an interesting process to consider what would be my answer to her obvious question: What one thing could the US do to make things better? My own answer would have been: nurses. Despite my tendency to focus on the physician side of the equation, it is nurses that make a hospital run. And HUEH needs more. They need more of 5,000 things, but mostly they need more nurses.
Nobody yet knows exactly how many staff were killed in the earthquake. But it’s absolutely clear what percentage had their lives destroyed in one way or another: 100%. During an informal moment with a half dozen pediatrics residents, they shared with me that all but one of them is sleeping in a tent or their car. Showering, washing clothes, finding clothes, commuting and eating all became hardships on January 12. As if residency is not difficult enough. And yet several of them came to the hospital today for the sole purpose of hearing a talk on DKA by some foreign doctor.
After the DKA talk, several opted to stay for an additional teaching session at the bedside of an intubated adolescent in the adult ICU tent. A couple of others took advantage of the mentoring by placing lines and intubating a patient in the Pediatrics tent for their first time since the quake. In fairness, even as the residents were using me for backup, I was doing the same by sharing rapid fire emails back and forth with my Children’s Hospital Respiratory Therapy colleagues. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on March 14, 2010
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on March 12, 2010
by Michael Agus, MD – director of Children’s Medicine Critical Care Program
Day 4
The day started with a proud smile and high five from the HUEH resident who wryly bragged, “I told you I wouldn’t need all that airway equipment.” The child had been safely transported and the surgeon had successfully removed the pebble from her trachea.
The routine has begun to set in at this point, but admissions were few on this Sunday. The weather, which had until now been in the 70s with scattered rain, hit the 80s with strong sun. With this change, the temperature in the interior of the medical tents rose to above 100F with extremely high humidity. Slight fevers are no longer clinically significant, standard intravenous fluid calculations no longer apply. Thanks to the NGOs, drinking water is plentiful and those patients, who are capable, work hard to maintain adequate hydration. The rest are dependent upon IVs or attentive family members to keep them hydrated. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on March 11, 2010
by Michael Agus, MD - director of Children’s Medicine Critical Care Program
A few weeks ago, multiple waves of teams from Children’s Hospital Boston left under the auspices of Project Hope for the USNS Comfort, which remains anchored in the harbor of Port-au-Prince. As Comfort’s mission began winding down, Robert Truog, MD was able to transfer and join a land-based effort already underway through Partners In Health (PIH). I was scheduled for the Comfort as well and due to Bob’s efforts was able to re-deploy to the same site right after he left.
Day 1
I boarded a plane early in the morning on Thursday, March 4 from Boston to Miami. In addition to a large pile of energy bars, mosquito netting and a camping pillow, I brought donations from my kids’ school, including stuffed animals and drawing pads from my 1st grader’s class.
The front page of The Boston Globe the prior day had pictured Cardinal O’Malley visiting sick children in a tent at a Catholic hospital in Haiti – St. Francois de Sales. I was able to use the picture to show my 3 sons (ages 13, 10 and 6) where I would be the following day. In the airport in Miami, I ran into the Cardinal and we discussed his and my trips. He expressed continued amazement at what he described as the worst human disaster of our time. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on March 7, 2010
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on March 4, 2010
Aimee Lyons instructs a mother on how to care for her baby after he leaves the Intensive Care Unit on the Comfort.
by Aimee Lyons, RN, BSN, MSN
When I got the call from Project Hope to go to Haiti, I didn’t think twice. They called me on a Monday and the next day, Tuesday, I was on a plane, heading towards devastation unlike any I’d ever seen. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on February 21, 2010
Here’s a quick look at what Thrive was up to last week.
School life for children after cancer takes a toll. Children’s Nelson Aquino, CRNA, reflects on his life-altering experience in Haiti. There are ways to confront bullying and cyberbullying head-on. Children’s injury prevention expert offers fire safety tips for your family. Learn how to make snacking a healthy time for your child. Are infants who swim more likely to get asthma? Girls’ soccer injuries are preventable. What are parents’ legal responsibilities when it comes to sexting? Is there such a thing as Internet overload for your child’s brain?
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on February 14, 2010
Here’s a quick look at what Thrive was up to last week.
A new study suggests a change in the way we prescribe eyeglasses to children. Another study suggests more youth than ever are dealing with mental health issues. Judy Palfrey, MD, FAAP talks about the First Lady’s new anti-obesity initiative. A pill may just be the answer for individuals with fragile X syndrome. Find out all of the information you need to know about Massachusetts’s new tooth brushing law. A Children’s researcher discovers that people with anorexia have high levels of fat in their bone marrow. Massachusetts restaurants are leading the way in making dining out safer for those with food allergies. Our Mediatrician explores whether vampire fiction can contribute to anxiety. Children’s clinicians reflect on their time in Haiti.
