So, there is no actual proof about the missing skull piece or that it was supposedly thrown away? The pneumonia not unusual for someone on ventilator/breathing assistance. Isn't the Wyndham incident from a couple of years ago?
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- Thread starter CristoRey
- Start date
Teen's Skull Smashed At Resort
Yet another reason I live here in Santiago.
I know several people who've used Emergency services at La Union Medical and all of their experiences were A+ positive.
According to the mother, her son arrived in Canada and the piece was missing. She referenced the fact that the hospital where he is being treated in Canada is using a 3-D printer to make a new skull section. The team at the DR hospital didn’t pick up on the pneumonia. It was diagnosed by the team at the Canadian hospital.
Correct about the Wyndham incident. December 2023 is the time of the occurrence. The father waited for a period of time for things to settle down emotionally for him and his son after the loss of his wife and other son. The lawsuit is not about the DR hospital system. it’s about resort negligence and improper food preparation. After they ate at the buffet, he called the front desk and said his family was violently ill and needed medical attention. He was told the resort doesn’t send medical staff to a room. They would have to go on their own to the nearest hospital for medical attention.
I’m assuming resort managers don’t want medical teams assisting their clientele on resort property because of the negative image it generates, particularly when it’s food poisoning.
Big. Once again, it’s the mother who is expressing her opinions about the DR private hospital care her son received. They are not my opinions. I’m echoing what she said. She was with her son for the whole ordeal and witnessed first hand the treatment he received. I doubt she has any experience in trauma care but you don’t need training to see treatment delayed while they verified his medical insurance or notice your son has a piece missing from his skull on arrival in Canada.
CR. I had occasion to use the Homs hospital to have my heart tested after I was diagnosed with A-fib years ago. I was wait listed for the testing in Canada but I was headed to the DR for an extended stay anyway and decided to have it done there. I was treated well and my out of pocket expenses weren’t super expensive. As you noted, a positive experience. Had it redone in Canada at no cost when I got back and the results were the same.
It probably wasn't the care she wanted it to be, but I am thinking they did the best they could under the circumstances. I still have doubts about throwing away a piece of his skull. I guess unless we see the medical record everything being said is questionable.
They obviously treated him. They saved his life and gave him a chance to recover. He was not a tourist that got intoxicated and suffered indigestion from too much lava cake. He required a specialist that handles brain injuries. These type of doctors are few and far between. They don't treat sore throats and gastritis. I would direct my anger at the perp. and the staff for letting this drunken jerk consume his body weight in liquor.
100%. Firstly, when one goes in for an emergency procedure, complication rates go up and survival rates go down. Considering the delicacy and sensitivity of a brain trauma, and then pile on emergency conditions, the outcomes are almost always less than desirable. A positive outcome would almost be a miracle. Unfortunately, very rarely would one receive the country’s top brain trauma physicians in these cases. When you go on vacation to a third world country, you must understand this comes with the territory. In summary, one is already behind the 8-ball in any emergency procedure situation in any country.
What still bothers me most is that with a brain trauma emergency where every second counts they took the time to check the money first. How good or bad the doctor, these ethics suck. I am sure that worsened this guys chances.
I guess the skull piece got thrown away with the other trash while the doctor was busy ordering a new suv.
I guess the skull piece got thrown away with the other trash while the doctor was busy ordering a new suv.
Probably in the river - that's where most trash, probably including hospital waste, ends up.
That alone should tell you all you need to know about DR health care.
As for the pneumonia - that is an unfortunate side effect of being on your back and intubated.
Endotracheal intubation is the major risk factor for ventilator-associated pneumonia. Endotracheal intubation breaches airway defenses, impairs cough and facilitates micro-aspiration of bacteria-laden secretions that collect around the inflated endotracheal tube.
In addition, bacteria form a film on and within the endotracheal tube that protects them from antibiotics and host defenses. In laymen's terms - a tracheal tube is a disease-breeding ground.
Infection usually occurs in the first 48 hours of intubation and in 1st world conditions occurs in up to 27% of patients. Likely even higher in DR due to more airborne bacteria in the hospitals. Deaths are more likely to occur in the first 10 days.
The injured in this case is young - so his defenses should conquer the pneumonia if they can keep in off a prone position
There still has been no proof that I am aware of that a piece of skull with thrown away. Ethics? I am not sure where you are from but for example in the US the minute you hit the ER; they are checking your insurance/ability to pay. You may not realize it, but they are. The mother is upset and rightly so but there still has not been proof shown to back up a lot of what is being said. Punta Cana is a resort town for the most part. While care may be adequate/good it is hard to be prepared for something like this, something they do not see often or at all. Just like other hospitals around the world, some are more specialized in areas and others are not. And as Cristo posted, as far as I know there has been no information released on what lead up to this. No one travels thinking something like this can happen. But when you travel to other countries you need to realize medical care may not be on the level you have back home.
It might not be so far-fetched to consider, even without documented proof. A small fragment fractured beyond repair or use would likely not be saved, although in a possible criminal case I think everything should be saved.
Besides that the part that was removed might have been cracked from the injury and not worth saving, the skull bone tends to grow back at least somewhat if left open long enough and the the piece wouldn't have fit. I've heard of many cases where people with head injuries end up with a metal plate in their head.
You may want to mention when it happened.
As far as the skull piece is concerned, How many times have you heard someone say they have a piece of metal in their head?
J.D My post #103 references the time the family was staying at the DR resort when they were poisoned. December 2023.
I’m very aware that metal plates were used to close skull areas where the actual skull section is so damaged it can’t be reused. Skull plate technology has advanced considerably and 3-D manufactured plastic sections are now the norm.
All wonderful stuff but it doesn’t negate the fact that staff at the hospital released the young man without a section of his skull plate with no explanation, according to his mother and the air ambulance staff. The explanation may be a simple one. Maybe It was damaged severely and couldn’t be reset and they disposed of it. Maybe the hospital staff are being closed mouth because they fear a malpractice lawsuit. The truth is an elusive thing in the DR, as you are well aware. I’m guessing she will never know.
I will say it again unless you are privy to the medical records, or actually witnessed the disposing of the skull piece then there is no way to confirm it is true. I seriously doubt the staff are being "closed mouth" about anything. Would be kind of hard since it was reported on several news sources. Is there a news link about what the air ambulance staff were speaking of?
I wouldn't say that, but unfortunately, the information coming out or being posted has yet to be proven. It is sad what happened to this young guy and hard for the family. Maybe it is just me but when I travel out of the country (not the DR) I am always aware of the "what if" situations especially when traveling with kids, younger adults. And we still do not know what lead up to this young man being assaulted.
The mother referenced the air ambulance staff observations, and her shock at learning the skull piece was missing. All of this is contained in the news articles and information on her Facebook and funding site.
As distraught as she is, why would she lie about something like that or the fact that his treatment was delayed pending confirmation of his medical insurance or blame the hospital staff for the missed pneumonia diagnosis?
The fact that a new skull piece had to be made confirms that the original piece was definitely missing. No mystery there. The reason it was missing is the mystery. As I previously posted, the reason may be a simple one. I have no idea why the hospital staff are keeping quiet. I doubt she will seek further information on that issue from the hospital after getting her son back in Canada.
Posters on this forum know that if anything like this happened in a hospital in the US or Canada, lawyers specializing in medical malpractice lawsuits would be lining up at her door. That’s why US and Canadian hospitals have much more stringent patient care protocols.
We know that gringos in the DR do not receive fair and equitable treatment in the courts. The hospital may be banking on that. That’s why I referenced the lawsuit against Wyndham by the Canadian family who was poisoned in Punta Cana December 2023. They found a legal go around by filing suit in Canada against two Canadian companies directly associated with the resort. Smart!
The mother will cut her loses and never return to the DR. I doubt she will pursue a malpractice lawsuit and I hope her son fully recovers.