12 Hours of Horror ! Doctors recount last week’s horrible Paris attacks and how they helped attack victims
Days after the Paris attack, doctors and hospitals across Paris are still on their toes treating the injured from the attacked. 57 of the injured remain in the ICU of which 3 are in a critical state. One stunned French hospital staff called it “the surgery of war”
Injuries like they were from World War II
221 people continue to remain in hospitals of the 433 injured from last Friday’s (Nov 13, 2015) multiple shootings. The degree of injuries vary – some will be discharged within days while others will undergo long-term rehab for severe debilitating injuries. Spread across the French capital, the injured and gravely hurt were treated across 35 different OTs. Doctors do however say things have normalized now but the first 12 hours saw the most number of gunshot wounds since World War II.
Hospital staff who showed up on Friday and early hours of Saturday were faced with traumatic injuries – numerous leg, femur, foot and humerus fractures. Other patients arrived with gunshot wounds to the head or neck, while still some walked in with burst eye sockets with a high risk of losing the eye.
The Unconcious 49
At one hospital, 49 unconscious patients were brought in, instantly overwhelming the facility ! Doctors didn’t know who they were and so were forced to write numbers on the foreheads and hands of the wounded. “These people had injuries from war weapons. It’s the sort of thing you might expect from the battlefield,” said Philippe Juvin, the hospital’s head of casualty,. Of his staff he added: “Nobody has come out of this untouched. Everybody has been affected. They are all very tired, physically and psychologically. There’s such sadness.”He added: “We have a psychiatrist at their disposal. To be frank I don’t know why they’ve been affected in this way. We are used to dealing with injuries of this nature. We get shootings. But not in such huge numbers. Not 50 in one go.”
While the flags at the Georges Pompidou Hospital remained at half mast to honour the victims of last weeks attacks, this week the very same hospital that was teeming with wounded peopel was serene and quiet. Only a few patients with ordinary injuries hobbled in and out. Leaving the first-floor accident and emergency ward again a place of calm.
Eerie Coincidence
It was by coincidence then that the morning of the attacks, the Georges Pompidou Hospital went through a drill to train for a ‘Charlie Hebdo’ style attack. Hours later this attack took place, but the hospitals – all 35 of them evenly distributed the victims to manage the situation quite well.
According to Jacques Duranteau , an anaesthetist at the Bicete hospital, medical teams have come out of the acute phase. The situation was now returning to normal, he said.“There may be a few adjustments, but today patients are where they should be.Some of the victims will be starting long months of treatment and rehabilitation. Those who are seriously injured will have to have specific treatment. For them care will be physical and psychological. The stress they have gone through is of an unimaginable level.”
Hospitals to the Rescue !
While most hospitals are returning to normal, the long term treatment and care will be the next priority. The initial harrowing days have passed but some hospitals like Pitie Salpetriere one of Europe’s largest hospitals still recalls how surgeons dealt with 52 people, 25 of whom were critical.
Amidst the chaos and clutter, doctors maintained their calm and compsure and dealt with these injuries exceptionally well. Despite not being their normal job they did tremendously well in handling the Nov 13th and the days after. Ever since the Charlie Hebdon attack earlier in 2015, hospitals have equipped themselves to handle large number of victims with trauma injuries. The training drill also helped them stay mentally prepared for such an event.
The horrific attacks at Paris last weekend left the world shocked, but doctors across Paris came together strongly to help victims recover and will continue to do so via extended treatment and care. Their tremendous effort has led to the post-attack treatment and care being handled immensly well. Kudos to the doctors across hospitals in Paris !
Original Post : The Guardian
