NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Monday, November 18, 2013
INCIDENTS
Grand Canyon NP
Life Of Anaphylactic Shock Victim Saved
On the evening of October 27th, a 19-year-old man was playing a pickup basketball game with his friends at Grand Canyon High School. After an hour of scrimmaging, he sat down to rest and fuel up, eating from a package of trail mix.
He'd eaten this same mix of various nuts a week before and displayed minor symptoms of an allergic reaction (scratchy throat and minor swelling), but this time was different - within less than two minutes, he had difficulty breathing, felt dizzy and developed severe facial edema.
NPS paramedics arrived to find him calm and alert but without palpable pulse or blood pressure. His extremities were cold and his skin was pale, cool and diaphoretic. The paramedics administered a third of a milligram of 1:1,000 IM epinephrine and a host of other ALS medications. He was then taken 80 miles by ambulance to Flagstaff Medical Center.
All emergent symptoms resolved within 20 minutes of the call, although the facial swelling persisted during the entire two hour transport to the hospital. He was subsequently prescribed an EPI pen as a result of this event.
Other than the mild allergic reaction the previous week, he'd never previously experienced anaphylactic shock.
On November 13th, President Obama signed a bill that gives financial incentives to states to stock emergency medications in schools that could save lives in cases of allergic reactions such as this one.
[Brandon Torres, Branch Chief of Emergency Services]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's InsideNPS. To see the full text, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the Morning Report web page ( HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/" http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/):
Olympic NP - The Elwha River dam removal project, now entering its third year, resumed last month after nearly a year's hiatus. It is to be completed in 2014.
Chamizal NM - Gregory N. Spaulding, the park's administrative officer, passed away in his sleep over the Veterans Day holiday weekend in El Paso, Texas.
Human Resources Operating Center - The 2013 federal benefits open season is now underway. It's the time of year when NPS employees are able to make changes to their benefits under several health benefit plans.
Cultural Resources - The Cultural Resources Diversity Internship Program is seeking project proposals for 2014. Details are provided on how to make submissions, which are due by December 20th.
Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings, newly introduced bills, and the status of legislation of interest to the National Park Service. This report covers activities in Congress for the week ending November 15th.
Intermountain Region - Lloyd (Piivayouma) Masayumptewa has been named superintendent of Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site. He is currently the chief of cultural resources for the Southern Four Corners Group.
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The Morning Report is produced by the Office of Communications with the support of the Office of the Associate Director for Information Resources. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov).
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