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News from the front lines
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by AquaHerp on October 5, 2004
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10/5/2004 - TALLIL AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- Almost a week later, little
Nahida still winces when doctors ask about the snake that bit her foot.
Her father, Nafil Radi, a policeman in the local An Nasiriyah precinct
of southern Iraq, sits beside the hospital bed and holds her hand.
Gently he coaxes her to point out which type of viper she encountered
only a few short nights ago.
The 8-year-old girl now rests comfortably in a bed of the 407th
Expeditionary Medical Group here. Doctors believe a blunt-nosed viper
bit her as she was tending sheep nearby on her family’s farm.
People who have seen Nahida during the past few days said it is a
miracle the girl is still alive.
“I was scared I was going to lose my daughter, that she would die,” Mr.
Radi said through an Arabic translator. “After she was bitten, we went
to several hospitals, but no one had the medicine to help her. We were
troubled, so I took her to my police station. I didn’t know what we were
going to do.”
At the police station, someone suggested taking the child to the
Americans here. Local citizens said military doctors might be able to
help.
When the police car carrying Nahida and her father arrived at the main
gate, it was almost midnight. The girl’s leg was swollen up to the knee,
and she was crying from the pain. The guards at the gate quickly called
the Air Force medics in tent city.
“As soon as we got the call, I put on my body armor and rushed out to
the gate,” said Maj. (Dr.) Duncan Hughes, a family physician with the
407th EMDG. “The message had come through a translator, so I didn’t know
what to expect other than a child with a snakebite of some type.
“At first, I didn’t think she looked too serious, but then I saw the
swelling in her leg,” Dr. Hughes said. “Once I saw that, I couldn’t look
her father in the eye and tell him she’d be OK without our help.”
Nahida’s leg had become so swollen that doctors feared she had a
condition called compartment syndrome where part of the body, normally a
limb, swells to the point of hindering blood flow to the affected
region.
In this case, the young girl’s leg was severely enlarged from the knee
down. Once doctors moved the young patient into the emergency room, Maj.
(Dr.) Greg Schumacher, an orthopedic surgeon with the medical group, was
called in to open the leg and prevent the extensive swelling from
further harming the little girl.
However, the complications with swelling were not Nahida’s biggest
problem. Doctors administered three doses of anti-venom, but they were
not having the desired effect. Nahida’s vital signs started to slip.
“We had another anti-venom, but it wasn’t one we were used to working
with,” said Maj. (Dr.) Rich Tyson, an internist assigned to the medical
group. “The first anti-venom should work for the snakes found in the
local area around southern Iraq, but not in this case.”
The second anti-venom was riskier than the first, and the potential side
effects more dangerous. The medics conferred with a specialist in
Seattle before making the call to administer the second anti-venom. With
Nahida’s condition worsening, it was an easy decision.
“I was biting my nails all day, waiting for the (second) anti-venom to
work,” Dr. Tyson said. “But by the late afternoon, she began to look
better. Her bleeding subsided, and her color returned to near-normal.”
By the weekend, Nahida was speaking to her father, who was staying near
his daughter’s bedside. She was also charming the medics who made her
toys out of latex surgical gloves and brought her stuffed animals from
around the camp.
“In my life, I haven’t seen anything like this,” Mr. Radi said.
“Everyone treats my daughter like she’s their daughter. I don’t know
what we would have done without these people.
“(When I brought her to the gate), I was 100-percent sure she would
die,” he said. “When they saved her life, they did more than that --
they saved (me) too. I don’t know what I would have done without her.”
Doctors said Nahida is recovering nicely and should be able to return
home in another few days. Until then, she is the queen of the inpatient
ward, smiling and waving to people when they visit.
For the 407th EMDG Airmen, their experience in caring for this child is
one they said they will never forget.
“When we deployed, I thought I’d be working with combat injuries and
military members, not small children with snakebites,” Dr. Hughes said.
“But I’m happy we could help this child, and so is the staff.
“Everyone, from the nurses to the medical technicians, stepped up to
help,” he said. “There was never a time when someone wasn’t there
watching over this girl. I’m happy she’ll be able to return home to her
family.”
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RE: News from the front lines
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by ALA_herp31 on October 5, 2004
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Very good story Doug. I like seeing posative storys like that come thrue the lines. It just prooves that they are not ocupiers, but they are freedem fighters. This story is the kind of things that hapen evryday thare im sure, and thats why the Iraqy ppl know we are not thare to take their country, but that we are their to help them regain their freedom as humanbeings.......good story ...i just wish the USA press would report the amount of things like this that hapen evry day thare, and not just the killing.......good on ya Doug..........happy herping Wally
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RE: News from the front lines
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by JRHarrison on October 5, 2004
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The family should be happy they tried, however fasciotomies are rarely if ever warranted. Their is no mention of a test for compartment pressure syndrome, so there is no way to tell if this was one of the rare cases when a fasciotomy was needed. It is very unlikely. We keep hoping that fasiotomies for snakebite have gone by the wayside, only to be dissapointed when we hear of yet another one being done.
Jim Harrison
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RE: News from the front lines
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by AquaHerp on October 5, 2004
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Yeah, I cringed at the fasciotomy thing too. I have a lot of scars, but thankfully, that isn't among them.
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RE: News from the front lines
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by Phobos on October 5, 2004
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Yeah, I agree a Fasciotomy is nasty but better than loosing the limb. I just met someone that had to have one from Naja n. kaouthia bite. Lost his index finger too. Major bummer.
Al
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RE: News from the front lines
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by HotHerper1 on October 6, 2004
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Ok, I know I'm new so the group doesn't really know much about me, I'm a soldier in the US Army, currently stationed in Germany. We hear and see these stories everyday, and when we ask why the US Public doesn't see these types of stories the answer we get is usually something like "good stories don't make good ratings."
My Battalion is currently preparing to take part in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. This ofcourse is why I currently don't own any snakes. But you can take it from someone who see's the reports everyday that there are plenty of good things going on in both countries (Iraq and Afghanistan) that the general public will never see or hear about. Thousands of schools, hospitals, and other public service facilities have been either repaired or built by the US and Coalition forces. So on the rare occasions where you do hear a good story from the front lines just remember that there are 10-15 that you didn't hear about. Thats just my two cents, and as always happy herping.
michael
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RE: News from the front lines
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by JRHarrison on October 6, 2004
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Al
I know the gentleman you speak of. He lost the finger due to tissue damage from the venom. Surgery would not have saved the finger. The other surgery on his hand was due to infection post bite. Snakebites can cause some nasty infection.
Take care
Jim
PS Always enjoy your posts.
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RE: News from the front lines
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by Snake17 on October 6, 2004
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Great story. I just hope that the people there would learn to respect the snakes mor and not try to eradicate them because Iraq has some wonderfull snakes. M. lebetina is one of them.
P.S.: Phobos, it`s just Naja kaouthia not Naja naja kaouthia. It`s been raised to species status for a pretty long time.
Happy herping every one, Alex S.
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