Saturday, January 14, 2012

Heart dropped en route to emergency hospital transplant in Mexico

Bungling medics are at the centre of a media storm in Mexico after they dropped a human heart being rushed to a transplant patient by police helicopter.



With the nation's media following every step of the dramatic journey to the capital's hospital, efforts to get the organ to its destination in time for a life-saving operation almost came unstuck just metres from its destination. Two medics dashing off the helicopter tipped the cooler containing the heart over onto the pavement.

Scooping it off the ground with their bare hands, the men placed the organ back in its icy storage leaving a bag of saline on the ground behind them as they rushed towards the operating room. Despite the mishap the doctor in charge of the operation was not too concerned.


YouTube link.

He told reporters: "It was a trip on one of the potholes on the road. It's arrival was a bit scary but fortunately it all went well. Because we had the heart perfectly protected as it was packed in three layers." According to Mexico City daily Reforma, the operation was a success and the patient is responding well to the new heart.

2 comments:

Zhoen said...

That sounds horrible, but it really isn't that bad, there are layers of protection. As long as the innermost sterile bag wasn't breached. Those coolers are usually just ordinary plastic coolers like anyone could buy for a picnic.

SteveC said...

There must be some sort of romantic notion of being given a broken heart.