3rd US Ebola patient released from hospital

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   3rd US Ebola patient released from hospital

 Sep 25th 2014 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The third American aid worker who contracted Ebola in Africa was released Thursday from a Nebraska hospital. 
An elated Dr. Rick Sacra said at a news conference that he was cleared of the Ebola virus by the federal Centers from Disease Control and left the isolation unit at the Nebraska Medical Center on Thursday morning.
"I feel great, except that I am extremely weak," Sacra said. He added: "I never felt like I was not going to make it. The care was so excellent, so speedy and so prompt."
The 51-year-old from Worcester, Massachusetts, began improving shortly after he arrived in Omaha on Sept. 5. He contracted Ebola while working at a hospital in Liberia with the North Carolina-based charity SIM.
The World Health Organization says the Ebola virus is believed to have killed more than 2,900 people in West Africa. Governments are scrambling to contain the disease outbreak, and the United States has promised to send 3,000 soldiers to the region to help.
"Though my crisis has reached a successful end here, unfortunately the Ebola crisis continues to burn out of control in West Africa," Sacra said, adding later that the "odds I'll end up back (in Liberia) are pretty high."
Two other American doctors who contracted Ebola were treated at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, and were released after recovering. A fourth American with Ebola is still being treated in Atlanta.
Dr. Phil Smith has said Sacra received an experimental Tekmira Pharmaceuticals drug called TKM-Ebola for a week after he arrived in Omaha. Sacra also received two blood transfusions from friend and fellow doctor Dr. Kent Brantly, one of the two Americans who previously recovered from Ebola. These blood transfusions are believed to help a patient fight off the Ebola virus because the survivor's blood carries antibodies for the disease.
Sacra also received supportive care including IV fluids and aggressive electrolyte management, and his own immune system fought the virus.
Doctors have said that the combination of treatments Sacra received makes it difficult to know what helped him fight off Ebola.

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Jen147 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Joined: March 23 2013 Status: Offline Points: 17144	Post Options Post Reply Quote Jen147 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: 3rd US Ebola patient released from hospital Posted: September 25 2014 at 1:57pm
	3rd US Ebola patient released from hospital Sep 25th 2014 OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The third American aid worker who contracted Ebola in Africa was released Thursday from a Nebraska hospital. An elated Dr. Rick Sacra said at a news conference that he was cleared of the Ebola virus by the federal Centers from Disease Control and left the isolation unit at the Nebraska Medical Center on Thursday morning. "I feel great, except that I am extremely weak," Sacra said. He added: "I never felt like I was not going to make it. The care was so excellent, so speedy and so prompt." The 51-year-old from Worcester, Massachusetts, began improving shortly after he arrived in Omaha on Sept. 5. He contracted Ebola while working at a hospital in Liberia with the North Carolina-based charity SIM. The World Health Organization says the Ebola virus is believed to have killed more than 2,900 people in West Africa. Governments are scrambling to contain the disease outbreak, and the United States has promised to send 3,000 soldiers to the region to help. "Though my crisis has reached a successful end here, unfortunately the Ebola crisis continues to burn out of control in West Africa," Sacra said, adding later that the "odds I'll end up back (in Liberia) are pretty high." Two other American doctors who contracted Ebola were treated at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, and were released after recovering. A fourth American with Ebola is still being treated in Atlanta. Dr. Phil Smith has said Sacra received an experimental Tekmira Pharmaceuticals drug called TKM-Ebola for a week after he arrived in Omaha. Sacra also received two blood transfusions from friend and fellow doctor Dr. Kent Brantly, one of the two Americans who previously recovered from Ebola. These blood transfusions are believed to help a patient fight off the Ebola virus because the survivor's blood carries antibodies for the disease. Sacra also received supportive care including IV fluids and aggressive electrolyte management, and his own immune system fought the virus. Doctors have said that the combination of treatments Sacra received makes it difficult to know what helped him fight off Ebola. http://www.aol.com/article/2014/09/25/3rd-us-ebola-patient-released-from-hospital/20967703/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl5%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D535575

drumfish Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Adviser Group Joined: September 08 2014 Status: Offline Points: 3115	Post Options Post Reply Quote drumfish Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: September 25 2014 at 2:45pm
	I wonder what the medical bill for this patient was. If Ebola makes it out of Africa to developed world, i bet the average person will expect this level of care.. But if there are more than a trickle of non research general population cases I wonder how long dream team medical care will last.

Jen147 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Joined: March 23 2013 Status: Offline Points: 17144	Post Options Post Reply Quote Jen147 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: September 26 2014 at 7:24am
	I've thought the same thing. There are only 4 of this level facilities in the US. Training should be taking place at all hospitals even the most rural. I know, I know... they have/do train for infectious disease... but do they really? Or is it a boring mundane procedure they "have" to do once a year with little attention and/or participation... a flight attendant going through the what to do in an emergency talk before every flight comes to mind. Will small town hospitals be able to contain this... will they be able to accomplish that "aggressive electrolyte management"? We only have one hospital in my county. And as much as they like to tout their awards & all the new technology they've brought on or the new wing they've added... I know more people who say that our hospital is not capable when it comes to ICU care or recovery care after a major surgery or life event. Of all the mistakes I've ever known them to make it was during this critical time that slip ups or plain incompetence occurred. So I'm just not sure... Where do you all think your local hospitals rank with being able to handle such critical and aggressive care?

drumfish Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Adviser Group Joined: September 08 2014 Status: Offline Points: 3115	Post Options Post Reply Quote drumfish Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: September 26 2014 at 11:08am
	I have no idea. But I do believe they only have so much capacity look at the strain d 68 put on some hospitals. They got full and had to divert ambulances. Isolation would be for how many weeks per ebola patient? To treat each patient like the research/publicity cases I think will be fantasy. Dealing with the mountain of medical waste alone will be an issue (see post). I guessing they will set up treatment areas in auditoriums and put the staff in space suits. Don't get me wrong i am sure they will make a valiant effort. But they will only be able to handle so many cases.

Jen147 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Joined: March 23 2013 Status: Offline Points: 17144	Post Options Post Reply Quote Jen147 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: September 26 2014 at 4:26pm
	Good point on longevity of care... I hadn't considered that. When H1N1 was at it's peak in 2009 triage/treatment tents outside the hospital were very common. And there was a shortage of vents & ECMOs in a lot of areas. So many things to consider...

onefluover Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: April 21 2013 Location: Death Valleyish Status: Offline Points: 20151	Post Options Post Reply Quote onefluover Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: September 26 2014 at 8:38pm
	Well, glad this person gets to go home to his family. Kudos to those who saved his life. Whatever the other valid concerns may be related to cost.
	"And then there were none."

drumfish Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Adviser Group Joined: September 08 2014 Status: Offline Points: 3115	Post Options Post Reply Quote drumfish Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: September 26 2014 at 9:24pm
	I am thrilled that he lived. I was pointing out that if we get a bunch of cases here the resources will be stretched and the average Joe probably will not then receive that level of care. Though after seeing these highly publicized cases the public will expect the same. Hope it doesn't get here and hope I am wrong if it dose.

onefluover Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: April 21 2013 Location: Death Valleyish Status: Offline Points: 20151	Post Options Post Reply Quote onefluover Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: September 27 2014 at 6:49am
	My friend fell off his mini-bike. I took him to the hospital. Was there two hours. They gave him a sling and prescription. Ching ching. Twelve grand. If that's what it costs for hospitals to pay their expenses and make some profit we're phuked if Ebola comes here in any kind of numbers.
	"And then there were none."

Jen147 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Joined: March 23 2013 Status: Offline Points: 17144	Post Options Post Reply Quote Jen147 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: September 27 2014 at 1:46pm
	Why was it $12,000!! That doesn't sound right. I can get a right heart cath for 10 grand & that's an invasive cardiac procedure.

onefluover Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: April 21 2013 Location: Death Valleyish Status: Offline Points: 20151	Post Options Post Reply Quote onefluover Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: September 27 2014 at 2:11pm
	Emergancy Room entry. They did an MRI and or CAT Scan on head, exrays. Broken colar bone. Not sure what all they did. I waited in lobby. But the bill was just under 12k. Good thing I drove him or it'd of been another 4 to 6k. And he didn't actually fall off his mini bike. I was trying to be funny. He wrecked his motorcycle. Knocked his helmet right off. So he was banged up good. But still. He realized it'd of been free just to have me take him home as broken colar bones are just left crooket in a sling. I was chased by hornets a few years ago and tumbled down the sidewalk and broke my colar bone same way and drove myself home and toughed it out with no meds etc and bought another Harley with what I saved...
	"And then there were none."

drumfish Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Adviser Group Joined: September 08 2014 Status: Offline Points: 3115	Post Options Post Reply Quote drumfish Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: September 27 2014 at 2:31pm
	Around 2003 my son had normal childhood illnesses. Puke and diarrhea. Dr was worried he was getting dehydrated. To take him to hospital for iv fluid and anti puke med. One iv 4 hours in er then home $6000. Sure we had insurance so not that much actually out of pocket. I was outraged and called insurance to make sure it was not fraud. Nope, the going rate.

onefluover Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: April 21 2013 Location: Death Valleyish Status: Offline Points: 20151	Post Options Post Reply Quote onefluover Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: September 27 2014 at 3:31pm
	Some of the treatments in Aesthetic Lasers of which I hold the internationally recogonized title CLS run $2000/hr. And others such as tattoo removal can cost $500 for a one square inch tattoo that takes 5 seconds litterally to remove. The real work is in consulting and setup and verbal aftercare instructions which all may take ten minutes. But then these machines cost up to $250,000. $60,000 for a good used midgrade one. $25,000 for useless junk. $5000 for an illegal Chinese knockoff. And these prices are peanuts compared to what hospitals pay for their equipment so I can understand much of the cost and hence price to run a hospital but dang!
	"And then there were none."

Jen147 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Joined: March 23 2013 Status: Offline Points: 17144	Post Options Post Reply Quote Jen147 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: September 27 2014 at 5:57pm
	I don't have insurance so you'd have definitely been taking me straight home.