Hospital Knew Whittington had birdshot by Heart, Treating “Conservatively"

[kerrygoddess]

Hospital Officials Knew Whittington Had Bird Shot Near Heart, Treating Situation “Conservatively”
February 14th, 2006 @ 1:26 pm

More information is now coming out in the wake of the heart attack suffered by Cheney hunting accident victim, Harry Whittington. At first we were told that Whittington suffered minor injuries and then it came out that he was actually in ICU. Speculation was rampant on why. We learned yesterday that Whittington had been moved to a “step-down unit” on Monday after doctors had “decided to leave several birdshot pellets lodged in his skin rather than try to remove them.” Maybe that wasn’t a good idea, considering this…

Hospital officials said they knew that Whittington had some birdshot near his heart ever since Cheney accidentally shot him Saturday evening while aiming for a quail. The pellet always was at risk of moving closer since scar tissue had not had time to harden and remain in place, they said.

While I fully understand patient privacy, it does seem relevant that if the VP accidentally shoots someone and the man has bird shot near his heart, that’s a serious thing and the public should know just how serious the man’s condition is.

Hospital officials said “they are not concerned about other birdshot.” It is widely estimated that there are “between six and 200 pieces” that could be still lodged in Whittington’s body. My goodness… that sure is a lot of bird shot. “Cheney was using 7 1/2 shot from a 28-gauge shotgun.”

The doctors said “Whittington did not experience classic symptoms of a heart attack,” and they estimate that “he probably had a minor one around 7:30 a.m. EST.” Rather than conduct surgery to remove the pellet, they have decided to treat the situation “conservatively” and “White House physicians who attended to Whittington at the scene after Cheney accidentally shot him helped advise the course of treatment.” I don’t think it gets more conservative than Bush White House doctors…

MORE & LINKS - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=1940

[endarkenment]

1. There goes the magic birdshot theory.

It didn't travel from face to chest, he was shot in the face neck and chest. The original official story was bullshit on yet another fact.

[kerrygoddess]

4. More on this here

One of our bloggers works in a cardiac unit, she had something to say about this here - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=1941

[rodeodance]

2. nothing wrong with treating in this matter (conservatively)

[endarkenment]

3. no - but there is a lot wrong

with claiming that the victim got 'peppered in the face' when in fact he was shot in the face neck and chest.

[uppityperson]

5. "Under the skin" is nowhere near the heart, unless under muscles/bone

Speaking as a nurse (many many yrs), these stories do not make sense. There is a lot of stuff between the skin and the heart and the pellet has to either be "quite a ways under the skin, and under the muscle, through the sternum bone, and through that really tough connective fiber sac around the heart" to get to the heart itself. It just isn't that fast of a route to the heart, unless the pellet started deeper inside him. Which, according to the report, it didn't. Unless a pellet hit hard enough to go into a major vein leading directly to his heart, which is difficult also.


(I am mostly suprised that they found a heart.)

[Cocoa]

6. Cheney treated him conservatively

when he shot him in the face with a shotgun.