A GREAT MASS GENERAL HOSPITAL STORY

Dear Family,

Before I write about Christmas, I will share this tory I received from one of my Classmates at Harvard Med School concerning an incident from my days at the Massachusetts General Hospital years ago. This was a note sent out by the MGH to its present and former staffers.

It i s long but I think you will enjoy reading it if you can stick it out.

From Broadcast MGH

sent 12/24/2010 subject Holiday Message from Peter L. Slavin M.D.

"At the dawn of the 200th anniversary of the founding of our Hospital, I thought it fitting to share with you a letter I received recently that shows the powerful and abiding impact the MGH can have on the lives of patients and families who pass through our doors. This note came from the wife of a gentleman whose life was saved more than 40 years ago by the swift action of a doctor, a nurse and a dedicated and skilled team of MGH caregivers. With the letter was a copy of a newspaper article from 1969 which I have condensed and included."

"Dear Sir,

Enclosed is an article that was printed in the Boston Record American newspaper some 40 years ago about my Husband, Edward, and I just wanted to thank the staff for all they did to keep him alive, and out of interest let you know he is now father to four and grandpa to 8.

If your staff had not been so dedicated I would not have my wonderful husband who has praised your hospital and had told me of his accident and about the care he was given many times. But I only just found the article while looking through his papers for our passport, and wanted to write and thank you. I know it was 40 years ago, but that only shows the dedication and care, as there wasn't the equipment and resources that are now available. Thank you one and all

Pat and Edward Blake"

(Excerpts from the Boston Record American, Oct. 25, 1969)

Mass General Has its Liviest Corpse, Patient who Perished in Car Crash in Miracle Comeback

The incredible story of the liveliest - and luckiest "dead man" in Boston was disclosed Friday at the Mass General Hospital. His name is Edward Blake,24, an English Engineer who "died" ten days ago when the car he was driving hit the corner of a building on Pinkney Street. But he is alive now and itching to get our of the hospital. only because he had the good fortune to have a doctor and a nurse happen by an instant after the accident and because they ad the tremendous amount of help from the emergency room personnel at the Mass General.

Blake's story began at 2:30 AM, Oct. 14 when he was pinned in the car after smashing into the Building. Dr. Robert Figman, 27, a former surgical resident at the MAss. General saw the crash and ran to Blake's aid. Tricia Curran, a nurse who lives int he neighborhood, was driving by in her car and stopped to help. Blake was unconscious. Neither a heart beat, breath or pulse could be detected. He was placed on the street and while Figman gave cardiac massage, Miss Curran used mouth to mouth respiration and after a while they seceded in getting a slight pulse and breathing from him.

Dr. Le Roy Wirthlin and a team of six doctors and nurses took up where Dr. Figman and Miss Curran left off, and the discovered that the blood supply to Blake's brain was choked off by the pressure from the rib cage in the heart area. Once the pressure was relieved, the blood began to flow freely again , but the fear was that he had suffered irreparable brain damage.

But three days later, Blake began to stir from the coma, and finally he came out of it entirely and made an amazing progress toward recovery. Doctors could detect no brain damage whatever, and so remarkable was his case considered that he was introduced to all the staff and student doctors.

" I feel great and I'll be forever thankful to Dr. Figman, Miss Curran, Dr. Wirthlin and all the others who helped save me. I know I'm lucky to be around."

The relentless drive to do whatever it takes to help those in need has long defined Mass. General. For two centuries, the men and women who created, shaped, nurtured and advanced this hospital infused it with a spirit that is felt throughout the hospital- from the original Bullfinch Building to the forthcoming Lunder Building. I extend my deepest gratitude to each and every member of the MGH family for the inspiring work you do every day and for the lasting impact you have on our patients and families. Have a Happy and healthy holiday season. i look forward to celebrating our bicentennial with you in 2011. Peter L. Slavin, M.D. "

For the rest of the story, Dr. Figman was walking his dog on Beacn Hill when this all happened and the nurse happened to be an ICU nurse. When they brought him in, they woke me up and I ran down there. As Chief Resident, i used to sleep in the hosital on the days we covered the rather busy emergency ward. I thing we figured out he had a tension pneumothorax (and that was without a CAT scan) and I put is a chest tube. Those were exciting days.

Love, Dad