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Hyponatremia
(Updated August 9, 2004) |
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Grand Canyon National Park (AZ) Ranger Saves Life of Visitor 2004 On July 13th, ranger/EMT Ivan Kassovic, stationed at Phantom Ranch, was called to assist with an unconscious 55 year-old female visitor. He found the woman to be unresponsive, barely breathing and in a position of unbendable flexion. Attempting to correct her breathing, he found her jaw to be clenched and was able to attain only a marginal airway. Shortly thereafter, the patient stopped breathing altogether and vomited. The park’s helicopter was unavailable, so an alternate hospital-based ship was called. Kassovic was able to secure a marginal airway and began artificial ventilations with a bag-valve-mask. The inbound helicopter crew was unfamiliar with the landing zones in the area, which forced the ranger, who was working alone, to simultaneously direct the flight to a safe landing while treating the patient. Arriving advanced life support personnel were able to gain a good airway following chemical paralysis and intubation of the patient. The woman had hiked to the bottom of the canyon from the North Rim for her wedding, which was to be conducted at Phantom Ranch. During the 15-hour hike, she became severely hyponatremic (low on salt). She was transported to Flagstaff Medical Center, where she remained comatose and on a ventilator for most of the week. At the time of the report (July 22nd), she had been discharged from the hospital with an excellent prognosis. Alternate wedding planning is expected to resume in the near future. [Submitted by Marc Yeston, Backcountry Supervisor] Web Page created by Lorenzo Caminante (Larry Walker in Español). Copyright 2001--2010. All rights reserved. Last updated: August 9, 2004 |