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R ADAMS COWLEY SHOCK TRAUMA CENTER HONORS THE
HEROISM
OF MARYLAND’S EMERGENCY SERVICE PROVIDERS
100 People to Receive “Hero Awards” at the
Annual Shock Trauma Gala
April 26 at the Baltimore Convention Center will
truly be “A Night for Heroes,” when the University
of Maryland Shock Trauma Center holds its annual
gala to recognize the medical expertise and tireless
dedication of the Shock Trauma team and Maryland’s
emergency medical service providers. At the gala,
100 people will receive “Hero Awards” for their
roles in the rescue and recovery of two of
Maryland’s most critically injured citizens: a St.
Mary’s County teenager hit by a car and a Montgomery
County mother injured when her SUV rolled over.
Both patients will attend the gala to thank the
dozens of health care providers responsible for
saving their lives.
“The patients featured at the Shock Trauma Gala are
just two examples of the thousands of Marylanders
whose lives were saved last year by these amazing
and dedicated professionals. They include
dispatchers, firefighters, on-scene EMS personnel,
crew members from the Maryland State Police Aviation
Command, physicians, nurses, medical technicians and
rehabilitation specialists,” says Thomas M. Scalea,
M.D., physician-in-chief at the R Adams Cowley Shock
Trauma Center, which is part of the University of
Maryland Medical Center.
Dr.
Scalea is also professor of surgery and director of
the program in trauma at the University of Maryland
School of Medicine.
Dr. Scalea adds, “These men and women
work around the clock, 365 days a year, and the gala
is our opportunity to take the time to thank them
and honor their commitment to providing the world’s
best trauma care to the people of Maryland.”
Forty-four people will receive Hero
Awards for the case of Thomas Rudowsky, a 14-
year-old from St. Mary’s County who was nearly
killed when he was hit by a car while trying to
cross a busy intersection on Route 235. St. Mary’s
County volunteers arrived on the scene within
minutes and found Rudowsky in critical condition.
They quickly called for a MedEvac helicopter to fly
the teenager to Shock Trauma. Because Rudowsky had a
suspected brain injury, the flight paramedic on
Trooper 7 had to use a special procedure to put in a
breathing tube.
Tests at Shock Trauma revealed that the teenager had
multiple injuries, including fractures to his
collarbone, arm, spine and pelvis as well as a
bruise on his right lung and a laceration on his
spleen. But his biggest problem was a brain injury
that required immediate surgery to relieve the
swelling. Although the operation went well, several
days after surgery Rudowsky still did not recognize
his mother, but he was able to follow commands.
Working with therapists and the rest of the team at
Shock Trauma, Rudowsky began to make improvements.
Nine days after the incident, he left Shock Trauma
for a rehabilitation facility. He is now back in
school and running on his school’s track team.
“The patient stories highlighted at the gala
exemplify the amazing, lifesaving care that is
provided to trauma patients in Maryland because of
our network of highly skilled caregivers,” says
Jeffrey A. Rivest, president and chief executive
officer of the University of Maryland Medical
Center. “We are fortunate to live in a state with
such dedicated professionals working in
well-coordinated
system. They serve as a model for how trauma care should
be provided everywhere.”
The second case to be highlighted at the gala involves a
police officer who needed the help of her fellow
emergency responders. In May 2007, Alanna Ward was
driving on I-270 with her son Bradley when another
driver clipped the back of her SUV, causing it to roll
over several times. Her son was able to crawl out of a
back window, but Ward was trapped underneath.
A fire truck from Hyattstown arrived first at the crash
scene. Rescuers could see only Ward’s feet, but they
could hear her say, “Get this thing off of me.” They
called for Maryland State Police Helicopter Trooper 3 to
fly Ward to Shock Trauma, but it took 50 minutes to free
her from the mangled SUV and her condition rapidly
deteriorated.
Montgomery County police sergeant Kenny Holt soon
realized that the crash victim was a friend and fellow
police officer. He says, “I have been a paramedic since
1979 and a police officer since 1981. I run calls on
fellow officers who are seriously injured as well as
citizens who are injured, but it is especially
emotionally trying when providing medical care to one of
your own.” Holt flew in the aircraft with his friend and
managed her airway until they landed on the roof of
Shock Trauma.
But when Ward arrived at the hospital, her
heart stopped. The trauma team inserted chest tubes and
gave her blood. While her pulse returned, her oxygen
rate was dangerously low. Tests revealed that Ward had
severe damage to her right lung, and surgeons had to
remove it. Doctors, nurses and therapists worked
hard to help Ward improve, but she had a series of
setbacks including acute respiratory distress syndrome
and a free-floating blood clot in her leg, which could
have been deadly. She stayed on a ventilator for 75
days and she remained at Shock Trauma for four months
after the crash.
In the months following her discharge, Ward
returned to Shock Trauma several times for other issues
including bleeding in her brain. Nearly a year after
the crash, she is now at home recovering from her
injuries, determined to get her life back to normal.
Funds raised at the gala will benefit patient care
services at the Shock Trauma Center and will also
support the EMS educational fund and the Maryland
Fireman’s Association Scholarship fund.
More than 1,800 people are expected to attend the black
tie gala, which will be held from 6:00 pm until midnight
on April 26 at the Baltimore Convention Center on Pratt
Street. Tickets are $300 per person and include
cocktails, a seated dinner, live music and dancing.
Those interested in purchasing tickets to the gala may
call 410-328-6064.
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