It’s not every day that a young man survives a nearly fatal car accident and takes a victory walk through the hospital hallways to thank his care team. After suffering a rare cricotracheal separation that left Chris LoCurto unable to effectively breathe on his own, that’s exactly what happened.
Coordinated EMS & hospital care set Chris up for survival
At 22, Chris was in a car accident that caused serious injuries he wasn’t sure he’d be able to survive. He fractured his jaw, clavicle and spine and his lung collapsed. His most life-threatening injury was a tracheal separation—his airway was cut in half.
EMS professionals arrived on the scene. Although Chris was talking and walking, they could hear something abnormal in his breathing. The paramedics coordinated care with Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center so the trauma team would be assembled and ready for Chris upon arrival.
“I was trying to breathe but I wasn’t getting air,” Chris said. “Going to the hospital, I was honestly thinking I wasn’t going to make it.”
How the trauma team put Chris on the road to recovery
Led by Dr. Daniella Kington, the trauma team was waiting when Chris arrived. Immediately, they intubated him so he could breathe. They used a bronchoscope, a special camera, to see inside the airway to diagnose the injury and learn important details to plan treatment.
Chris was then put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). This highly-advanced machine helps the heart, lungs or both heal after extreme trauma or organ failure.
“For Chris, ECMO supported his breathing and oxygenation during the intricate surgical repair of his trachea,” said Jamie Van Ness, MBA, BSN, TCRN, director of Trauma Services at Wellstar Kennestone.
Now a Level I Trauma Center, the hospital is one of a few in Georgia that offers ECMO.
Dr. Nelson May, a head and neck trauma surgeon, was assisted by Dr. Nicholas Mildenhall to perform Chris’ tracheal repair. The surgery required the surgeons to reattach Chris’ larynx to his trachea. Then they placed a tracheostomy tube so Chris would be able to breathe, swallow and talk again.
To allow his airway to heal, Chris was sedated for a few weeks. When he woke, his injuries had been treated but he was fighting pneumonia. He was transferred to intensive care and his condition improved within a week.
Throughout his time in the hospital, Chris received the right treatment at the right time thanks to Wellstar’s multidisciplinary approach to care.
“Coming to Wellstar Kennestone made a difference in Chris' outcome,” said trauma surgeon Dr. Ginger Justice, a physician who got to know Chris on her daily rounds. “He came to a trauma center that had all the resources to care for him—pretty much from the moment he hit the Emergency Department to discharge.”&
Providing specialized trauma care
When Chris was a patient, all the specially trained doctors and advanced technology were available to help him recover from his life-threatening injuries. Shortly after, Wellstar Kennestone was verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level I Trauma Center, the highest level of trauma care offered.
“The first and most crucial piece [to Level I Trauma Center verification] is that we have all the different subspecialists available in one place to provide full care for our patients,” Dr. Kington said. “If a patient comes in, no matter where they’re injured, we have a subspecialist who can help with all those different injuries.”
That was exactly what Chris needed. In addition to helping people get trauma care fast, Wellstar Kennestone is home to a residency program, training the next generation of trauma doctors.
For about a month and a half, Chris recovered in the trauma unit, ICU and intensive inpatient rehabilitation. In Wellstar Kennestone’s inpatient rehab, specially trained speech, occupational and physical therapists create a specialized care plan to help each patient achieve their goals and get back to living life.
Compassionate nurses made a lasting impact on Chris
While the trauma team saved his life, Chris credits his nurses with keeping him motivated.
“Every nurse I met who came in, we ended up forming some sort of relationship,” Chris said. “They took care of me like their own. That’s not in their job title, nobody asked them to do that, which is why I’m so grateful. They went above and beyond what they get paid to do to make me better physically and mentally.”
For example, one nurse found out about Chris’ love of aviation and brought him to see an air ambulance helicopter. Another nurse shared his love for hunting and planned a reunion for Chris and his hunting companion, his dog Maddux.
“While the future was kind of unforeseen, the nurses connected with me,” Chris said. “I got to spend some time with my dog too. It was huge for my mental well-being.”
Coming back to say thanks
Chris defied the odds by walking, talking and being able to eat. Today, he’s taking steps toward a full recovery. While learning to live with a tracheostomy tube, he’s working out and increasing his cardio exercise. He spends a lot of time walking Maddux.
“I’m slowly introducing myself to normalcy again,” he said.
A crucial part of recovery was visiting the hospital and saying “thank you” to his care team.
“He and his family walked in,” Dr. Justice remembered. “I saw Chris in normal street clothes, walking with his sunglasses on. He said, ‘Hey, I’m doing great!’ To see this young man with so much potential have a good outcome was very inspiring.”
Chris made sure to thank as many care team members as possible. “Their motivation and drive to get me going is without a doubt one of the reasons I’m moving around as good as I am today,” he said.
Dr. May added, “It was gratifying to see the real-life implication of Chris’ care and to be able to participate in getting him to where he is today.”
A bright future thanks to expert trauma care
Overall, without the first-rate trauma response of Chris’ medical team at Wellstar Kennestone, he would not be where he is today—back in the wilderness with Maddux.
“The coordination of many different teams and doctors with different areas of expertise in different phases of his care allowed him to be where he is today,” Dr. May said.
Wellstar Kennestone provided the advanced care Chris needed with excellent trauma services. Now with a Level I Trauma accreditation, the trauma team can keep offering advanced care—and preparing the physicians of the future to do the same.
