By PRNewswire
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — AeroCare Worldwide Air Ambulance provided an air medical transport for a 13-year-old Dominican Republic girl to undergo emergency spinal surgery in the U.S.
Yasmeli Guzman suffers severe scoliosis and had surgery in September in the Dominican Republic to correct her condition. However, four days after surgery she developed an infection and cerebral spinal fluid leak.
She needed a special scan called a CT-myelogram to locate the leak, but the equipment to do so was not available in the Dominican Republic. The CSF leak was life-threatening, prompting the surgical team to transport Guzman to the U.S. immediately.
Scottsdale based International Surgical Foundation donated their services to provide the lifesaving surgery Guzman needed. ISF is a collaboration of Duane D.H. Pitt MD and his Scottsdale surgical team. ISF was formed by Pitt to help those suffering from spinal disorders in the Dominican Republic. ISF contacted AeroCare Air Ambulance to provide the emergency air medical transportation to the U.S. because of the company’s experience in transporting critically ill and injured patients worldwide.
AeroCare flew their Fort Lauderdale based Learjet 35 air ambulance to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to retrieve Guzman. They then flew her to Scottsdale, Arizona, where she was admitted to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital and underwent spinal surgery to repair the spinal fluid leak.
AeroCare sent a two-person medical team consisting of a critical care flight nurse and critical care flight medic to provide the air medical transport for Guzman and her mother. Upon arrival at Scottsdale Airport, AeroCare then provided ground ambulance transportation.
Guzman underwent the first of several surgeries planned to repair the CFS leak. She is currently in stable condition and awaiting more surgeries. The ISF has created a CrowdRise campaign with a goal of raising $100,000. So far, they have raised a little more than $37,000. to help pay for Guzman’s flight and medical expenses. More information can be found on the ISF’s Facebook page and AeroCare’s Facebook page.