AN 18-year-old hacked off his own leg using a blunt hoe and then a saw
after he was trapped in rubble following an earthquake.
Construction worker Ramlan, from Padang, Indonesia, had been working
on the seventh floor of a new building when the tremors hit the island
of Sumatra on September 30.
He was trapped by a concrete girder which crushed his right leg up to the shin as he tried to flee with his fellow workers.
Xavian Helley, right, of Sparks consults Thursday with Rick Riley of
Prosthetic Consulting Technologies about getting his prosthetic limbs.
Looking on is PCT worker Chris Beattie. Photo by David B. Parker.
What did Eli Manningdo to get his heel ready for the game?
Manning said he wore orthotics and had some extra tape to
support his foot. He even had tape around the outside of his cleats; players
call it wearing "spats."
"Nothing too heavy," Manning said of the tape job.
"It wasn't anything major, just a little extra support." He wore
high-top cleats, but that's not unusual for him.
Was there any pharmaceutical support?
No. Manning said he did not have any shots of cortisone,
painkillers or anti-inflammatories in his foot.
How did the heel feel?
"It felt great during the game," Manning said.
"I felt that I could do everything, run the offense. I didn't tell coach
Gilbride or Coughlin, 'Hey, don't run this' or 'don't do that.' I felt like I
could do everything we had to do."
So after he left the game, did Manning tune out?
Heck, no. "I actually called a timeout," Manning
said. "I don't know if that's legal or not, but I called a timeout on the
sideline in the two-minute drill. I saw the clock running down, and I yelled it
out."
That saved a delay-of-game penalty. "[The official]
might have thought I was the head coach," Manning said.
Will he practice this week?
"Hopefully, it feels great tomorrow morning," he
said after the game. "I don't have any doubt that it won't, so hopefully,
I will be able to get back to practice all next week and work on getting
better."
Companies
that make medical devices are concerned that they are going to have to
carry a heavy tax burden under a health care reform plan proposed by
Senator Max Baucus. Baucus is the Senate Finance Committee Chairman.
His plan would place fees on medical device manufacturers to help pay for health care reform.
Andy
Besser is the manager of a prosthetics and orthotics company in
Davenport. Many of the components used to make artificial arms and
legs would be taxed under the Baucus plan. Joints for knee braces and
prosthetic feet that the company orders from other manufacturers would
be included in that tax.
That added cost will be passed on to
his company and in turn to the consumer. He says as expenses go up, it
might be difficult for some medical device companies to keep people on
board as well as hire and expand businesses. Besser says it's going to
become just that much tougher.
LEDYARD, Conn. – A Massachusetts man who lost his leg in an accident at Foxwoods Resort Casino in 2006 received a $2.9 million award in what may be the largest personal injury claim ever negotiated in a tribal court.
Richard Murch, 69, of Tewksbury, Mass., and the Mashantucket Pequot
Gaming Enterprise agreed to settle the claim minutes before a trial was
to begin in Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Court in early August.
MPGE is the business arm of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which owns Foxwoods Resort Casino in southeastern Connecticut. Tribal officials said it was their largest settlement.
New London attorney M. John Strafaci, who represented Murch, said it may be the largest settlement in any tribal court.
Strafaci said his client was happy with the settlement.
“Once the settlement was announced to Mr. Murch, once we told him we
had reached a number that would provide him and his family with future
security, he had a big smile on his face and his family said it was the
first time they’d seen him smile like that since the accident. It was
just a giant weight taken off his shoulders, knowing he could pay his
bills and the family could have some security,” Strafaci said.
WORCESTER, Mass. On September 16, leaders in research and
development of implantable limb neuroprosthetics will gather at
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) to discuss the state of the field
and to advance collaborations that will push next-generation artificial
limbs and prosthetic devices closer to clinical application.
Organized by the Center for Neuroprosthetics in WPI's Bioengineering Institute (BEI), with grant support from the
John Adams
Innovation Institute, "Neuroprosthetics 2009: Today's Progress,
Tomorrow's Promise" is the only national conference this year focused
on the scientific and engineering problems that must be solved to
enable a new generation of artificial limbs that more closely replicate
the function of natural limbs.
"There is a great human need
for better, more functional prosthetic devices, especially for our
soldiers who have been severely injured in Iraq and Afghanistan," says
W. Grant McGimpsey, professor of chemistry and biochemistry and
director of the BEI, who organized the event. "We are very pleased to
sponsor and host this symposium, so that many of the best minds in this
field can come together, interact and discuss how to attack the very
complicated problems that need to be solved if we are to realize the
progress that so many people hope for and would benefit from."
More
than 150 scientists, engineers, clinicians and other professionals from
around the country who work in various facets of the prosthetics and
neuroprosthetics fields are expected to attend.
Plenary speakers include:
Lt. Colonel Paul Pasquina, M.D., chief of the Integrated
Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation and medical director of
the Amputee Program, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.
Buddy Ratner, PhD, director of University of Washington
Engineered Biomaterials and professor of bioengineering and chemical
engineering at the university
Todd Kuiken, MD, PhD, director of the Neural Engineering
Center for Artificial Limbs, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago,
Northwestern University
John E. Olerud, MD, George Odland Professor and head of the Division of Dermatology, University of Washington
Kent N. Bachus, PhD, research associate professor and director
of the Harold K. Dunn Orthopaedic Research Laboratory, University of
Utah
James Peter Beck, MD, adjunct professor, Department of Orthopaedics, Bone and Joint Research Lab, University of Utah
Christopher Allan, MD, associate professor, Department of Orthopaedics
and Sports Medicine, Harborview Medical Center, University of
Washington School of Medicine
George Pins, PhD, associate professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
The
day-long symposium will be held in WPI's Campus Center in Worcester,
Mass. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The event is free, and the
morning and afternoon plenary sessions are open to the public.
Afternoon break-out sessions are by invitation only.
This
center in the Bioengineering Institute at Worcester Polytechnic
Institute is engaged in research aimed at developing technology that
will place prosthetic limbs and organs under the control of the nervous
system, enabling users to control these devices in the same way they do
their natural appendages and organs. For military personnel who have
lost limbs, neuroprosthetics will offer more rapid recovery and
rehabilitation. The center draws upon WPI faculty expertise in the life
sciences and biomedical, electrical, and mechanical engineering,
including such areas as electronic control systems, communications,
imaging, sensors, bio-compatibility, and biomaterials.
About the WPI Bioengineering Institute
The
WPI Bioengineering Institute (BEI) is a multidisciplinary R&D
organization utilizing academic, industry, and government partnerships
to develop innovative healthcare technologies. BEI focuses on several
major technologies, including sensing, bioprocessing, imaging,
nanotechnology, remote diagnostics and treatment, and water quality.
Seven multidisciplinary centers enable scientists, engineers, and
clinicians to address tough research challenges with flexibility and
imagination.
About Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Founded
in 1865 in Worcester, Mass., WPI was one of the nation's first
engineering and technology universities. WPI's14 academic departments
offer more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in
science, engineering, technology, management, the social sciences, and
the humanities and arts, leading to bachelor's, master's and PhD
degrees. WPI's world-class faculty work with students in a number of
cutting-edge research areas, leading to breakthroughs and innovations
in such fields as biotechnology, fuel cells, information security,
materials processing, and nanotechnology. Students also have the
opportunity to make a difference to communities and organizations
around the world through the university's innovative Global Perspective
Program. There are more than 20 WPI project centers throughout North
America and Central America, Africa, Australia, Asia, and Europe.
MUSKEGON COUNTY -- A billing clerk for Mercy Health Partners
Orthotics and Prosthetics faces felony embezzlement charges, accused of
altering at least $20,000 worth of insurance checks and depositing them
in her own bank account.
Debra Lee Ropp, 40, of 8129 Weiler, Twin Lake, was arraigned Friday
on three counts of embezzlement by agent or trustee of between $1,000
and $20,000. That's a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
According to Muskegon police reports, the alleged
embezzlements occurred over about two years and may have involved as
many as 73 questionable checks, totalling $20,000 or more in reported
losses.
Thick fog knocked out John Mollison's communications
A Falklands war veteran who lost a leg
in a mine explosion has abandoned his record-breaking attempt to row
the Atlantic Ocean after being rescued.
John Mollison, 49,
from Perth, was helped by coastguards and an oil rig support vessel
after thick fog knocked out his communications systems.
Technical problems also left him with no way to generate power.
He set off from Massachusetts on 5 July with the aim of being the first amputee to row the ocean west to east.
'Suicidal situation'
Mr
Mollison planned to row about 3,500 miles to Britain and wanted to
return to Perth via the Forth and Clyde canal and ultimately the River
Tay.
The start of his trip had already been delayed because of poor weather in the USA.
He was raising money for the British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association (Blesma).
A statement on the website following his adventure states: "It is with regret that I confirm that Molly's quest has been ended.
"In
dense fog, in the deep of the night and rough seas, all communications
were lost with no way to generate power due to technical malfunctions.
"This
left us in a suicidal situation to think about continuing as the boat
could not be seen and with no communications a decision was made
between the team, the Falmouth and Canadian coastguards to start a
rescue mission with the aid of an oil rig support vessel.
"With the use of their radars Molly was located and made safe."
It wasn't a prize fish, but a Redding businessman this week landed
the big one that almost got away in the rushing waters of the
Sacramento River.
After a long search Wednesday, 30-year-old Todd Thompson of
Cottonwood, assisted by two Shasta County sheriff's deputies, his
mother and two family friends, finally found a 4-pound prosthetic leg
that he lost last week when he fell off a Sea-Doo he was riding south
of the Bonnyview boat ramp.
"It was like we had caught a 50-pound salmon," Thompson said of the
subsequent all-around celebration of high-fives, whoops and hollers.
No wonder. The titanium and aluminum prosthetic leg is valued at around $17,000, Thompson said.
We
can criticize socialized health care, citing statistics and chronicling
the historical record of runaway costs and deterioration of quality.
But you have to deal directly with Medicare and Medicaid (or perhaps be
a former Soviet citizen) to really appreciate the Twilight Zone nature
of government-run programs.
Among federal Medicare regulations
-- which are over 130,000 pages long -- there is more than ample room
for confusion and some humor. After a long search for traction weights
(those five pound blocks of metal used to pull fractures out to length)
I found them propping open doors to patient rooms in the ER. It is a
punishable offense under Medicare regs if the hospital is caught
propping open these doors because they are fire doors.
In 30
years, I have never seen nor heard of a significant hospital fire.
However, patients suffer every day by being inadequately monitored.
Keeping these “fire” doors closed means the nurse sitting at her desk
outside the rooms cannot visually monitor the patients. But, to comply
with regulations, all those little rubber doorstops were thrown out.
Fortunately, given a choice between poor patient care and ignoring a
government mandate, most nurses care more about the patient than about
the wishes of a bureaucrat in Washington. Ergo, the nurses
commandeered the orthopaedic traction weights. In case of a pop
inspection, traction weights at least provide plausible deniability.
Medical
"quality" gurus of the Center for Medicare Services are convinced that
certain abbreviations are dangerous. After over 100 years of clinical
use, we can no longer write MS for Morphine Sulphate because it may be
confused with Magnesium Sulfate -- two drugs with totally different
indications. Neither can we write MagSO4 for Magnesium Sulfate, even
though it is the technical chemical name for the drug. We cannot write
‘cc’ (an abbreviation every junior high science student understands)
because it might be confused with ‘i.u’.-- international unit. And, we
can't use ‘i.u.’ because -- you guessed it -- it might be confused with
‘cc’!
Like good gulag inhabitants, doctors complied for a
while, then some (no one I know, of course) committed little acts of
defiance such as making up their own abbreviations because the
government watchdogs simply cannot enumerate all the outlawed terms --
though God knows they have tried.
As Medicare decreased
reimbursements, physicians found ways of being more efficient while
maintaining quality -- presumably the kind of behavior any third-party
payor would want. In my case, I used a physicians' assistant to help
gather routine data during a new patient encounter. He would do the
routine part of the history and physical, and I would do the complex
part, utilizing my time explaining the problem and treatment options to
the patient. But this quality care was not to be. Medicare decided it
would pay me approximately $94 for a new patient visit if I did it all
myself (but I would waste much of our visit doing the mundane part of
the exam) or it would pay the PA $94 if he did it all himself, as long
as I was present to sign off on his plan. That option would have been
more lucrative, but a clear compromise of care since I would have been
signing off on a plan without first-hand patient knowledge. The quality
solution which we had at first implemented would also have been $94 and
superior in every way, but this was deemed illegal, subject to a
$10,000 fine for being a "split consult" -- we both can’t see the same
patient the same day and bill as one.
After four years of
medical school, five years of residency, and usually a year or two of
fellowship, orthopaedic surgeons are the most qualified people to apply
splints. Up until last year, I did so. But now, Medicare has determined
that only those physicians who are "certified" may do so. Who will
certify me, you may well ask? A group of orthotists -- people with no
medical degree and (relative to orthopaedists) much more limited
experience and training? And this certification would have cost me over
$3000 -- a cost exceeding the revenue for placing splints on Medicare
patients in my practice.
So, now, these older patients, when
taken out of a cast, must travel to another facility, to have a less
qualified provider give them a vastly more costly splint. And, the
physician can not oversee the process to insure correctness of the
application. Medicare is paying more for less quality. (I guess the
orthotist lobby is more powerful than the orthopaedic lobby.)
These
are not isolated incidents, but emblematic of a daily clinic in
Medicare Absurdistan. A psychiatrist once told me that we need three
things to remain sane -- the ability to deflect criticism, the ability
to laugh at oneself, and the ability to accept the absurd. Until it
kills us, government run medicine should provide no end of practice.
Lee
Hieb is an Orthopaedic Surgeon, in solo private practice. Her
first-hand experience in medicine began in the 1950s, when she
accompanied her father on his housecalls in Iowa.
