Eighteen year old Rodney went off to ride a young colt in the family’s pasture. When Rodney didn’t return home, his older brother went to look for him. He found Rodney unresponsive lying underneath the colt and called 911. Sanford Intensive Air was dispatched and responded to the scene within minutes of receiving the call.
Rodney was stabilized by the flight team and was quickly flown to Sanford USD Medical Center, where he was met by the trauma team. Dr. Gary Timmerman, trauma surgeon, remembers, “Rodney was intubated and unable to breathe on his own. He demonstrated no evidence of any motor or sensory response which suggested a brain injury of some type. We were concerned about the length of time that he may have been without oxygen as he was found face down,” stated Dr. Timmerman. Although there were no broken bones, no bruising … not even a scratch, Rodney was in serious trouble. Rodney had sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
Tests showed a small area of damage to his brain. The force of the fall had caused the brain to shift, breaking the message paths. Rodney spent many days in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and with the Rehab unit. But thankfully today, he’s back on the saddle again because of determination. Both his, and the entire team at Sanford.
THERE ARE CERTAIN STANDARDS TO MEET
IN ORDER TO CALL IT AN ER. AND ONCE
THOSE ARE SURPASSED, CALL IT TRAUMA 5.
The name “Trauma 5” denotes five distinct differences from other E.R.s in the region. Specifically, they are Trauma, Heart, Orthopedics, Neurology and Children’s. Any Level II ER has a rigid set of standards, but at Trauma 5 we not only meet them, but exceed them every day.
Sanford Trauma 5. Beyond E.R.
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