Good news

FIREFIGHTERS EARN HARTMANN AWARD

Six members of the Hinsdale Fire Department recently received the Hartmann Award from the Good Samaritan Hospital EMS System for their efforts to save a man on Aug. 6, 2019.

They are Chief/paramedic John Gianelli, Capt./paramedic Michael Neville, Lt./paramedic Andrew Ziemer and firefighter/paramedics Douglas Niemeyer, Patrick Schaberg and Michael Wilson.

The fire department was dispatched for a man trapped in a storm drain on a berm about 30 feet off the road who was not breathing. The patient was about 15 to 20 feet down, lying in water and trash at the bottom of the entrance shaft and likely in a toxic atmosphere.

Giannelli request a division Technical Rescue Team Response. Wilson donned his SCBA, helmet and four gas meter to enter the sewer. When he reached the bottom, the meter showed 8 percent oxygen and .8 ppm hydrogen sulfide. The patient was completely unresponsive and apneic.

Schaberg also donned his equipment and climbed down to assist Wilson in applying a harness so the crew could pull the patient out. The patient was out of the hole and receiving CPR within 15 minutes of when the incident began.

Neville and Ziemer continued care in the ambulance while Schaberg and Wilson took off their equipment and then joined the effort. Over the next 10 minutes, they applied the Lucas device for mechanical CPR, applied the cardiac monitor pads and leads, started an IV, administered three rounds of Epinephrine and successfully intubated the patient on the second attempt.

En route to Amita Hinsdale Hospital, the patient had a weak pulse and showed tachycardia on the monitor. As care was transferred to the emergency department, the patient deteriorated into V-Fib. The crew continued to assist in resuscitation efforts until positions were filled by doctors and nurses.

The patient ultimately did not survive.

“These individuals performed exceptionally well as individuals and as a team to provide the best possible outcome for their patient and to prevent further fatalities from this incident,” Jon Carlson, Hinsdale’s EMS coordinator, wrote in the submission letter. “The whole shift worked quickly and skillfully to complete the rescue, resuscitate and transfer care to the Hinsdale ED in 25 minutes with an on-scene time of 21 minutes.”

AMITA DOCS NAMED AMONG BEST

Sixty-nine physicians at Amita Adventist Medical Centers in Hinsdale and La Grange have been recognized as top disease doctors in the Chicago area, according to a study conducted by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., a healthcare research and information company. The full list was published in the June/July 2020 edition of Chicago magazine.

Castle Connolly invites licensed physicians across the U.S. to nominate peers as Top Doctors in any medical specialty and in any part of the nation. Physicians cannot nominate themselves and cannot pay to be named a Top Doctor. Each year, Castle Connolly receives nearly 100,000 nominations.

“During this particularly difficult time in health care, we’re very pleased to see this many of our dedicated Amita Health physicians honored in this way,” said Dr. Stuart Marcus, Amita’s executive vice president and chief clinical officer. “To be included on this list requires nomination by their peers for excellence, safety and commitment to their chosen profession. These are just a few of the thousands of physicians at AMITA Health that we’re proud to have on our medical staff serving our community every day.”

Recognized doctors from Amita Health Adventist Medical Center Hinsdale are

Cancer — gynecologic oncology: Dr. Sudarshan Sharma

Cancer — hematology: Dr. Donald Sweet

Cancer — medical oncology: Dr. Jay Dalal, Dr. Rekha Harting, Dr. Arti Lakhani and Dr. Warren Wong

Cancer — radiation oncology: Dr. Patrick Sweeney

Cardiology — cardiovascular disease: Dr. Duane Follman, Dr. Gary Gibbs, Dr. Jerome Hines and Dr. Gregory Lewis

Cardiology — interventional cardiology: Dr. Edgar Carell

Organs & glands — endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism: Dr. Grant Sievertsen Jr.

Organs & glands — pulmonary disease: Dr. Peter Freebeck

Organs & glands — urology: Dr. Joel Cornfield and Dr. John Kritsas

Surgery — colon & rectal surgery: Dr. Jeffrey Zawacki

Surgery: Dr. Daniel Douglas

Other specialties — neurology: Dr. Christopher Simon