Helicopters traveling at 165 mph make maine's vast geography seem smaller

Fifty-one year old David Tingley understands all too well the vast geography of Maine. In 2008, he traveled from his home in Madawaska to Eastern Maine Medical Center for routine cardiac surgery. Specialists there replaced a valve and fixed an aneurysm on his heart. He spent about a week recovering at EMMC after his surgery and then went home to complete his recovery.

After five days at home, David wasn’t making much of an improvement. His medication made him hallucinate and he wasn’t eating well. His condition got so bad, his wife called 911 for an ambulance to take him to Northern Maine Medical Center. Once there, he was admitted into the facility’s new intensive care unit, which boasts up-to-date technology, automated medication dispensing and electronic medical recordkeeping.

However, David’s condition continued to worsen. He was struggling to breathe and his blood pressure had dropped to a dangerously low level. An echocardiogram revealed he had developed cardiac tamponade, a condition where fluid accumulates in the sac that surrounds the heart. The pressure this causes can often be fatal. 

David desperately needed treatment from the cardiac specialists at EMMC. Because his vital signs were so volatile, doctors at NMMC needed to minimize the amount of time David spent out of the hospital. A three and a half hour ambulance ride was out of the question. With LifeFlight of Maine, the trip would only take about 65 minutes and he would benefit from the care provided by a team of critical care experts.

“It was scary. David had deteriorated so quickly, the doctors at NMMC told me to call his family to be with him,” recalls David’s wife, Bonny.

When David arrived at the EMMC emergency department, doctors immediately performed surgery to drain the blood around his heart. He stayed in the hospital for a week and spent another two months recovering at home. Today, he is back to work, the only lasting effect of his ordeal is a quiet clicking sound made by his mechanical heart valve.

CREW MEMBERS
CommSpec Jonathan "JR" Roebuck : Pilot Joe Obremski
Nurse Sandy Benton : Paramedic Josh Dickson