Patient Stories

Keith Martin was working on his boat in the driveway of his home in Danvers when a cable puller broke and struck him in the neck. That stung, but he didn't register that he was bleeding profusely until his grandson pointed it out. Fortunately for Keith, his wife Julia immediately called Emergency Medical Services (EMS); that call set in motion a whole team. 

From the Danvers Police Department, Danvers Fire Department and Atlantic Ambulance Service who answered the call, to staff in the our Emergency Department, Operating Room (OR), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Blood Bank and IV teams, as well as patient care staff, each played a critical role in saving Keith's life, since the kind of wound he sustained is life-threatening.

Officer Justin Jones arrived first and began treatment, followed soon after by Timothy Crosby and Jeremy Prairie from Atlantic Ambulance and Danvers firefighters Mike Graves, John Hodgkins, and Adamo Ferriero. They found Keith with a large amount of blood loss. They continued to treat him as they relayed information to the Emergency Department (ED) at North Shore Medical Center. Our ED is a certified Level III Trauma Center, which means we have a Trauma Program and trauma activation system in place. A Trauma Stat was called and a trauma room was set up. When Keith arrived at the hospital there were several surgeons and anesthesia providers, an IV nurse, a respiratory therapist, a blood bank tech with a Trauma Stat Pack (a special cooler filled with blood products), the ED team, and others, ready to receive him.

In the space of less than two hours, Keith went from bleeding from an artery in his neck to receiving surgery and then resting comfortably in the ICU, in stable condition and with the bleeding under control. Three three days later Keith was able to go home. He and Julia recently returned to the hospital to meet some of the team who provided care that day. While not everyone who helped that day was available for a picture, this group represents many of the departments who worked together on his behalf.

Pictured: Keith Martin and his wife Julia Martin (center) pose with Danvers firefighters Mike Graves and John Hodgkins, Officer Justin Jones from the Danvers Police Department, as well as several NSMC Staff. Victoria Dela Cruz, R.N., IV Team; Renzie Obrero, R.N., Joelle Clarizia, Surgical Technologist, Sara Bouchard and Richard Bediako from Labs/Blood Bank, Yogi Cutitta, R.N., VA-BC, Vascular Access Team, Johanna O’Connor, M.D., Chair of Anesthesia, surgeon William Kastrinakis, M.D., Brett Heffernan, C.R.N.A., and Nancy A. Hassan, R.N., ED Educator.