Health care experts explain ‘unprecedented’ effort to treat, transport multiple burn patients
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii nurses and hospital experts are shedding light on the effort to treat and transfer burn patients injured in a New Year’s fireworks explosion in Aliamanu.
The CEO of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii says one or two patients at a time might fly via an air ambulance, so six on a military plane is unprecedented.
Meanwhile, there’s been an extraordinary effort with bedside nurses.
“I know the evening that it all occurred that there was a need for help everywhere. Wherever they they went, the nurses heard the call,” said Rosalee Agas-Yuu, president of the Hawaii Nurses Association.
Agas-Yuu reacted to news of the death of a 3-year-old boy, Cassius Ramos-Benigno. Gov. Josh Green had said he was taken to Kapiolani Medical Center in critical condition after the New Year’s fireworks explosion.
“Any loss of a loved one is painful,” said Agas-Yuu.
“I know the nurses at Kapiolani were there for that family. I know all the staff was there for that family, just because I just know their nature,” said Agas-Yuu.
Agas-Yuu has cared for burn patients throughout her career and says they often require round-the-clock care with two or three nurses per shift to help with burn dressing changes, fluids and medication.
“A big thing is pain. You have to sense pain. Sometimes the patient can’t talk, but nurses, they know,” said Agas-Yuu.
Hilton Raethel, Healthcare Association of Hawaii CEO, said, “My wife and I have lived in Hawaii for 25 years. Nothing like this has occurred in that history, so it truly is an extraordinary event to need to transport multiple patients.”
He called Saturday’s transport of six burn patients to the mainland on a military plane unprecedented.
He says all the major hospitals in Hawaii can stabilize and care for the patients, but don’t have the resources or capacity to care for so many for weeks or months at a time.
Some may be in the hospital for a year or more.
“Because of the long periods of time of the long-term care that’s required in a hospital for these patients, the decision was made to relieve some of the burden on Hawaii’s hospitals,” said Raethel.
“In terms of burns, this particular incident had a greater impact than that of the Lahaina fire,” he added.
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