By Dr. Nancy Snyderman, NBC News Chief medical editor
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Nearly a week after the devastating earthquake, victims who sustained crush injuries and broken limbs are now suffering from rampant secondary infections.
Faced with an overflow of patients and an ongoing shortage of antibiotics, medical teams have few options for saving lives. Amputation is increasingly the only resort, says NBC’s Dr. Nancy Synderman, who has been helping to treat patients in Port-au-Prince.
She spoke with msnbc.com about the rush to save lives at a small private hospital in Port-au-Prince.
What is the main concern of medical teams treating quake victims now?
Increasingly, it’s been amputate or die. Secondary infections are huge. It’s the No. 1 cause of death right now. We’ve not yet seen cholera or dysentery.
We’re seeing so many people with crush injuries and open wounds. And because there isn’t the time or the antibiotics to save an infected arm like you might have back home, the decision is, if you can amputate an arm, you can save a life.
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