Little Amanda Ramirez Lopez, almost 10 months old, is the patient with the longest stay, exactly 249 uninterrupted days of hospitalization, at the Intensive Care Unit of Octavio de la Concepcion y de la Pedraja Pediatric Hospital, which celebrates its 42nd anniversary this September 17.
Referring to this particular case, the Chief of that service, Dr. Carlos Córdoba Vega explains that “Amanda remains in bed four and arrived when she was 33 days old, transferred from Neonatology in critical condition. She has remained in this condition because she was born with a neurological problem, a hypoxic encephalopathy. As she had a severe neurological problem, it was necessary to perform a tracheotomy and gastrostomy, with which she is living”.
“Through the tracheotomy and the mechanical ventilation equipment, her breathing is maintained and thanks to the gastrostomy, she is fed and given medications that can be administered through the enteral route. Evidently she lives with us, she is very much loved by all the colleagues on the service. She is not exempt from complications when living in an intensive care unit, this type of wards are not for children to live in, but to stay a few days, get better, save their lives and go on with their lives. However, due to the nature of her neurological disease, she has to live with us,” argues the specialist in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine.
Amanda, despite her critical condition as a result of the severe neurological damage she suffers, shows progress such as weight gain and makes motions with her little hands when she sees some toys, that is to say, she shows some improvement.
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, health, intensive care, history, Holguín, Octavio de la Concepción y de la Pedraja Pediatric Hospital, intensive care, history
This Intensive Care Unit has a very competent working team, made up of physicians, specialists, residents and nursing staff. Referring to the latter, the specialist in Pediatrics clarifies that “the best thing we have a very united team to count on, we always work together, all together make decisions, among the nine specialists, three residents and three doctors in training that we have.
Most of them are very young, hard-working and prepared people. And a nursing team that is also very committed and dedicated. And not only the medical and nursing care, but also the love given to this girl and to all the other patients that we take in, because these serious and critical cases, in addition to the medical and nursing care, demand love and dedication”, he concluded.
Yusania Elizabeth López Rodríguez, Amanda’s mother, is a witness to this boundless love and dedication to the patients, adhering to good medical practices: “We arrived at this ward on January 11 of this year. We have been here for almost 10 months, the working group is like my family. They have been unconditional with me. I see that they are sensitive to my situation, always with positive treatment, they give you strength, they help you, they encourage you, they are there to lend a hand because one cannot help crying, feeling bad, that I am not affected by the pain caused by seeing my daughter in serious condition”.
With the birth of Amanda, Yusania’s life changed. She used to live alone with her eldest daughter, 12 years old, who has just started high school. This hard test has been very difficult for both of them because she also had to delegate the upbringing of her older daughter to her family in order to take care of and be there for her youngest treasure.
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