Head Trauma - Brain surgery

web · Mar 20, 2011

American has motorcycle accident 1 week ago. Bad headache, memory loss, no appetite. Finally agrees to go to Centro medico. Doctors say he needs operation on brain. I saw the xray, there is obvious mass on there. They want to remove piece of skull and relieve pressure and replace it. They quoted 200,000 pesos.

question

Are they qualified to do this kind of operation here in puerto plata? It is not so much about the money but it is a life and death situation. Where to send xray for second opinion? They will just concur together?

Advice?

web · Mar 20, 2011

forum search

patient is in puerto plata, saw there is a dr. spitali in centro medico cabarete....says he is brain surgeon

anyone know if he is still there?
where is this place?

gringostudent · Mar 20, 2011

surgery

That sounds like a sub dural bleed, not absolutely acute, I would get him on a flight to miami yesterday.

gringostudent · Mar 20, 2011

was it an X ray or MRI or CT?

cobraboy · Mar 20, 2011

This is why you wear a helmet even on a scooter in the DR. The law of physics (momentum/inertia) applies: the head is the heaviest, most dense body part; it WILL hit the ground...and hard...if it doesn't hit other objects first.

I wish your friend well...

web · Mar 20, 2011

i think an mri but not sure, the machine automatically entered him in there while tech was on computer

web · Mar 20, 2011

dr spitali is in surgery right now
this is the new hospital in sosua right?
I think it is worth a drive there with mri result or move him there in ambulance?
maybe guy can come to puerto plata?

Hillbilly · Mar 20, 2011

TWO options:
1) Med evac to Miami
2) Santo Domingo...Dr. Jose Joaquin Puello, the best neuro surgeon in the Caribbean. Bar none!

ACT NOW>>>

HB

DMV123 · Mar 20, 2011

Is this the accident from last Sunday involving 1 motorcycle and 2 pasolas?

Last year friend h ad serious accident on motorcycle in Puerto Plata - the family insisted he go to HOMS in Santiago. Sadly he died 2 days later.

They did not trust the doctors in POP.

web · Mar 20, 2011

yes, same accident
we are waiting for spitali or going to let people here do it

patient has no insurance so miami is not an option

DMV123 · Mar 20, 2011

I was there as they took him away in the back of - did not look good. But later heard he was fine but it did not feel right based on what I saw.

NO insurance- ****! Good luck. 2 surgeries and 2 days in intensive care in HOMS was just over 500,000RD.

Good luck to your friend!

Hillbilly · Mar 20, 2011

I was going to suggest HOMS....it is a good option.

And US$15000 for 2 ops and two days of ICU is fair price...considering the alternatives.

Dr. Puello has a place that operates on indigent patients...He was just given Man of the Year Award for his work there....check them out!! Diario Libre has a note on him...

HB

DMV123 · Mar 20, 2011

It is a fair price all things considered!

PeterInBrat · Mar 20, 2011

You can "recover" from a bonk on the head and then suddenly die up to a week later. It happened to Natasha Richardson a few years back after a skiing accident. Hope all goes well with the surgery.

Natasha Richardson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Two big red flags are vomiting or loss of balance. Brain damage often occurs on the opposite side of the skull where the trauma happened.

SKing · Mar 20, 2011

If you are going to pay these people 200,000rd why would you not use that money to buy him a plane ticket to Miami. Insurance had no bearing on whether or not he will be treated. There are illegal immigrants here who do not have insurance or residency and they receive thousands of dollars worth of surgery. Every patient in the US is treated (when it is a life threatening situation) whether or not they have the ability to pay. It is called EMLA and every hospital has to abide by it.
If it was myself or my family I would be on the next plane to Miami.
And I would not ask for just any hospital, ask for the nearest UNIVERSITY hospital.

SHALENA

DMV123 · Mar 20, 2011

Likely he cannot get on a plane and likely not survive the trip! IF he appears to be sick they will want a doctors note saying he is fit to fly.

web · Mar 20, 2011

Patient is on the way to HOMS Santiago. Centro Medico jacked price up to 300,000, so we got him out of there. He was coherent and stable although had to threaten him to go. One and a half days in Bournigal, an MRI, pain meds, bag of saline = $29,000 rd pesos. Interesting because he put down a deposit of $30,000. Ladrones. I bet they were ****ed at trying to spend the other mil peso.

thanks

Mrs Silver Fox 60 · Mar 21, 2011

If it were me, I'm not sure I'd let any doctor in this country remove a part of my scull and root around in there with a stick.

I'd head to the states if possible, as previously posted...yesterday.

cobraboy · Mar 21, 2011

Mrs Silver Fox 60 said:
If it were me, I'm not sure I'd let any doctor in this country remove a part of my scull and root around in there with a stick.

I'd head to the states if possible, as previously posted...yesterday.

The DR has many highly qualified physicians and surgeons.

web · Mar 21, 2011

This guy walked out of hospital in Santiago and took a cab to POP. He is saying he is fine. Anyone have info on this Medevac service here? I realy don't want to be here when this thing pops in his head. For review is American with no insurance, expired passport, and has a subdural hematoma in his head.

Head Trauma - Brain surgery

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