Show R r' HAVE EMERGENCY ROOMS “NEGLECTED” CHILDREN? By Howard L Rosenberg hen BiHy was hit by a car an ambu-lance'arriv- ed at the scene within minutes Paramedics slipped an oxygen mask aver his nose placed him carefully on a stretcher and rushed him to the University of Maryland Hospital's Shock-TrauCenter in Baltimore where doctors labored valiantly— but futileiy— over the boy Minutes after arriving at the hospital Billy was pronounced dead of severe injuries and shock Billv was a victim not just of the accident but also of a tragic circumstance: The paramedics who sped to his aid were neither trained nor equipped to properly handle traumatic injuries in volving children "Paramedics do an excellent job with 90 percent of the injuries they treat: adult injuries" says Dr Richard Gorman director of the pediatric emergenCenter cy room at the Shock-Trau"Now it’s time to prepare them to treat the other 10 percent the children who will be our future" About 12000 children below the age of 15 (fie of accidental injuries every year in the United States according to the National Safety GounciL Half of own never even make it to the hospital And even if they (fid their chances of surviving wouldn't improve much That’s because many doctors nurses and paramedics are simply not trained to deal with the special needs of traumatical ly injured children and most hospitals emergency rooms clinics and doctors' offices are not properly equipped for pediatric emergencies A recent studv in Los Angeles County showed that fO percent of paramedic alls involved serious traumatic injuries to children But almost twice as many children (12 percent) as adults (7 percent) were dead on arrival at the hospitaL And 70 percent of those children died in areas where no centers existed pediatric critical-caf- e "We do know that where rapid adequate care is offered — as in the case of severe head trauma — the outcome is improved" observes Dr James SeideL associate professor of pediatrics at the UCLA School of Medicine and one of the authors of the study The key to proper treatment means specially trained paramedics and hospitals that offer pediatric intensive care The Los Angeles study found however that many rescue units don't carry vital equipment and medications to meet the special needs of kids "It s hard to fit everything you need for emergency medical treatment of adults into an ambulance in the first place" ex voHa gw wvryuimg w w® plains Dr Gorman "Now when you start adding duplicate equipment in the multiple sizes you need to fit different-age-d children you can imagine the scope of the problem” "The real heroes of modem medicine are those paramedics” says Dr Martha Bushore of the East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville director of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Task Force on Pediatric Emergency Medicine “When a child is dying they make the difference But it happens because of meticulous advanced planning proper equipment and training" To make sure that children will get the paramedic care they need Dr Bushore recommends designating certain ambulances to deal with pediatric emergencies and dispatching them to every call involving a child But at the hospital or emergency room the requisite equipment for proper testing diagnosis and treatment may not be available A child in cardiac arrest for example needs electric stimulation to the chest with special paddles Traction splints for broken bones come rntno nwpvui nrvicc wnty irsFiilsr-- Swell bin And best of aA you wont Hava to give up Midi of what you've got M you buy a ticket before May 31 IMS you cm travel to any city in one of aw three ragfons lor only $150 or less Any city io an adjoining regieo is ouly $2S0 or lass Or go from cooot to coast for only $325 round-tri- p Kids under 12 get 50 off those already low faros Vbu have 30 days to com-as you return no later then Juno 30 1955 now’s the time to got on board rtoooi dfocevar that Amtrak is one of the most gor train systems in the world For reservations or more information travel agent or Amtrak at MOO-USA-RA- Offer not available in Alaska or Hawaii IL ABOARD AMTRAK -- |