Case Study: Rescuing a patient in rural Mexico

Usually, call-ins that arrive at midnight tend to be urgent, and this case was no exception. Our client asked us for help to assess the case of a patient who was in a public hospital in a remote, rural village in Oaxaca, Mexico – a place which had limited health services. Scarce clinical information was provided, and our team began to work on the basis of what we needed to gather in order to provide the best care possible.

Due to the area’s remoteness, and the severity of the clinical condition, complex planning was required to ensure the patient’s safety through intensive and thorough medical care, air ambulance transportation, case management and other services.

Learning more about the case

Once we obtained the information from the hospital, we learned the patient had displayed an altered level of consciousness after travelling through multiple countries, with medical staff suspecting a neurological infection – a serious diagnosis.

Following the basic studies carried out at this institution we knew that the patient required a multidisciplinary team and facilities with a high level of care potential.

First steps

We scheduled the air ambulance as soon as possible – being such a remote area, a ground ambulance was required to transport the patient to the air ambulance before they could then be flown to hospital. The patient was taken to Mexico City, where they could be treated in detail, since several imaging studies, laboratory tests and multiple specialists were required to diagnose and understand the origin of the affliction.

Key details were obtained from an account given by one of the patient’s travelling companions, which led to the medical team realizing that the infection had been caused by a bacterium found in underwater caves that the patient had visited.

Going back home

Once the cause was known, we were still very far from the outcome of this case. Months of multidisciplinary management would be required, as the patient had required ventilation to breathe. Rehabilitation and recovery would have to be the cornerstone of the treatment, before the patient could return to what one could call normality.

Once the patient was conscious, and had the ability to move out of a bed, eat, and breathe without assistance, it was time to plan the best way to go back to a more familiar environment. Following all the medical recommendations, a team was assigned to pick up the patient at the hospital, and escort him to the ambulance, where they were flown home to the US.