The University of New Mexico Hospital (UNM Hospital) in Albuquerque, the state's only Level-I trauma center, recently played a critical role in saving the life of 72-year-old Richard Neely from Farmington. Last fall, Neely's heart unexpectedly stopped while he was at home.
On November 7, 2023, Neely was cleaning his coffee pot when he felt unable to stand and instructed his wife, Susie Neely, to call 911. Paramedics arrived promptly and transported him to San Juan Regional Medical Center (SJRMC), where doctors removed a large blood clot from his lungs. Despite this intervention, Neely remained unstable.
Given his condition, the SJRMC care team contacted Dr. Todd Dettmer, chief of the Critical Care Division at UNM Hospital’s Department of Emergency Medicine. Dettmer coordinated with UNM Lifeguard for an airborne medical rescue using an Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) machine to improve Neely's survival chances.
Dettmer explained that ECMO could increase survival rates for critically ill patients: “We take a patient whose heart is not working or is actually stopped, and we are able to put them on essentially an artificial heart and lung machine."
He further noted that UNM Hospital is unique in providing a team capable of performing such procedures offsite: “UNM Hospital is really the only hospital in the state of New Mexico that provides a team that will go with Lifeguard to actually do the procedure necessary at someone else's hospital.”
After completing the ECMO procedure on-site at SJRMC, Dettmer and his team transported Neely by plane to Albuquerque. Susie Neely described witnessing her husband being loaded onto the aircraft as monumental: "You've got about six people... they had him wrapped up like a big huge burrito."
Upon arrival at UNM Hospital’s ICU, Richard Neely continued receiving treatment for his remaining blood clot and began recovering. "The next morning I knew it was going to be okay," said Susie Neely.
Neely regained consciousness after five days and walked out of the hospital three days later. As president of the American Amateur Baseball Congress and a lifelong baseball fan, he likened his medical team's efforts to hitting grand slams: "They hit a grand slam every time they were up."
Neely now aims to give back by donating funds for an ECMO machine in Farmington to reduce travel time for future emergencies: "I guess I'm here for a purpose... it's a great way to give back."
Procedures like these are partially funded by Mill Levy funding which contributes about 10% of UNM Hospital’s budget.
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