Trauma surgeon recounts operating on victims in Texas school taking pictures: “Sadly, we were prepared”

A trauma surgeon in Texas who operated on youngsters wounded in the Uvalde school taking pictures stated that she and her crew mobilized rapidly as soon as they were notified in regards to the taking pictures — and knew easy methods to reply because of their expertise with the Sutherland Springs church taking pictures in 2017, which left 26 useless.

“Sadly, we were prepared for and thought we would get more patients than we did,” Dr. Lillian Liao, the director of pediatric trauma at University Hospital in San Antonio, instructed CBS News.

Liao stated it might take hours to get victims from the scene. But because of measures like a blood transfusion program that began in the South Texas space in 2020, trauma groups were capable of start working on sufferers extra rapidly.

“This is the reason why every part of the country needs a strong trauma system — is that coordination of care and getting patients to the right facility in the shortest amount of time possible,” she stated.

Liao stated the accidents in youngsters from Tuesday’s mass taking pictures were “high-velocity firearm injuries.” Compared to accidents from handguns, she stated these weapons have a extra harmful influence on the physique.

She additionally famous the injury may be much more extreme for youngsters. “When you talk about a child, their body surface area is much smaller than an adult, and so when a projectile hits them at a high velocity, it will create a bigger destruction,” she stated. Internal injury to organs and vital physique components are extra probably in consequence.

“You can bleed to death in five minutes,” she stated.

When requested about how her crew was doing, Liao stated that they are making an attempt to remain constructive.

“I think our current focus is taking care of the patients that we did receive,” she stated, preventing again tears. “And taking care of them in a way that we can help them, first of all, get out of the hospital, but also to be able to live their life to the fullest.”

She stated they’re grateful to have the ability to converse to the households of the injured and inform them their baby remains to be alive and clarify what they’ve deliberate in phrases of take care of the following 24 to 48 hours.

“We really feel like we’re fortunate to have such a strong team in the region,” she stated. “In the hospital, at University Hospital, to be able to put together an effort that will continue to save lives if and when we have to deal with these mass casualty situations again.”