Coast Guard braves storm to save Vineyard newborn

By Nelson Sigelman - April 19, 2007

In the teeth of a fierce coastal storm, the Martha's Vineyard lifeline that is the United States Coast Guard provided lifesaving assistance Monday for an Island newborn in need of advanced medical care.

Early Monday morning Viviane G. Gomes, pregnant and about to give birth prematurely to twins, arrived at the hospital. Her imminent delivery and associated complex medical issues presented the small, rural hospital with a medical emergency it was not ideally equipped to handle.

Hospital physicians knew that advanced medical care available only in Boston would be needed. But weather conditions that included winds gusting to 60 miles per hour had led the Steamship Authority to cancel morning ferries and MedFlight, a commercial air ambulance service that regularly serves the Vineyard, to ground its helicopters.

About 6:30 am Monday, the Martha's Vineyard Hospital contacted Lt. Commander Sandra Bender, Air Station Cape Cod flight surgeon, and asked for assistance. Following a series of early morning consultations and a review of the health care logistics, the flight crew of a HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter prepared to take off and fly to the roof of the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts-New England Medical to collect a neonatal medical team.

The winds were gusting past 40 miles per hour when Coast Guard pilot Tom Maine, co-pilot Lieutenant JG Ryan Tickell, flight mechanic Glenn Hosford and rescue swimmer Alan Auricchio lifted off in the Jayhawk and flew to Boston where they were met about 10 am by a neonatal team, consisting of a doctor, a neonatal nurse practitioner, two neonatal intensive care unit nurses and a respiratory therapist.

The wind, the weight of the fully fueled aircraft and landing conditions, which included high buildings around the Boston landing pad, all presented challenges for the flight crew both in Boston and then at the Vineyard.

"It was pretty demanding, a lot of power management issues came into play as we were landing both at the pad and back in the Vineyard, with conditions that didn't allow us to set up into the wind," said Mr. Tickell.

The neonatal team arrived in time for the births of Pedro and Gabriell Gomes. Gabriell did not survive. The Island and Boston medical teams then moved quickly to complete the transfer to Boston of tiny Pedro, who weighed only 2.12 pounds.

Every emergency presents unique circumstances, said Lieutenant Tickell. For the crew flying a newborn infant in the spartan interior of a Jayhawk helicopter buffeted by wind and rain, time was of the essence.

"Once we had the baby on board, we really wanted to limit the amount of time between the hospital and the pad," he said. "We were pretty much flying the aircraft as fast as we could without exceeding any limitations."

The aircrew returned the team and infant in their care to Tufts-New England Medical about 12:30 pm, according to a Coast Guard press release.

Lieutenant Tickell said it was a rewarding mission. The transfer provided a good example of team effort, Lt. Commander Bender explained. "It wasn't just one organization that helped make this happen," she said.

Dr. Bender said she sent an e-mail Tuesday morning to the members of the Jayhawk crew to let them know that the baby was doing exceptionally well and breathing on its own. "They like to hear when their efforts result in someone doing well," she said.

Speaking yesterday afternoon from Viviane's room in the Martha's Vineyard Hospital, the twins' father, Jair Dias, a construction worker from Brazil who has lived on the Island for about five years, said mother was doing fine and would probably be released Thursday. Speaking for both of them, he said, "We want to say thank you to everyone who was involved. The Coast Guard, all the doctors, everyone."

The transfer in severe weather conditions is just the type of emergency situation described in a memorandum of agreement concluded Feb. 14 among the Coast Guard, Boston MedFlight, Martha's Vineyard Hospital, and Nantucket Cottage Hospital.

The agreement is designed to improve communication and coordination between Boston MedFlight, the Coast Guard, and the hospitals when medical transfers are needed. It relies on the Coast Guard only for the most serious incidents and when there are no other alternative services available.

According to a Coast Guard press release issued at the time, "The agreement does not change the long-standing practice of the Coast Guard providing this life-saving service to Cape Cod's island residents."

Commenting on the agreement at the time, Martha's Vineyard Hospital chief executive officer Tim Walsh said, "When push comes to shove, when we have bad weather, the Coast Guard is who we count on. They are the ones who are there."