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1/ Twitter, help me find the new independent investigator for Elijah McClain& #39;s death. I said I wasn& #39;t going to watch the video but here I am...in tears over the police arrest and subsequent medical (cardiac) arrest of Elijah McClain, both of which can be seen in the video.
2/ I& #39;ve been an ER doctor for 11 yrs. I& #39;ve cared for >50,000 people with occ malpractice consulting. So here is a free consult based on the body cam info ONLY. I don& #39;t care what the media or paramedics document. Elijah McClain& #39;s heart stopped at the scene, not during transport.
3/ When EMS arrived, he was vomiting, moaning...not fully awake and alert. EMS gives him a dose of Ketamine presumably so that he would "calm down" and cooperate during transport to the hospital. Ketamine (works in ~3-4m when given in the arm muscle like in Elijah& #39;s case).
4/Then Elijah goes quiet. All you could hear was paramedics and officers making a plan to get him on the stretcher. They decide to leave the handcuffs on and finally get him on the stretcher. Once on the stretcher, I could see him again and that& #39;s when I saw it. An agonal breath.
5/ An agonal breath is what we call a "brainstem reflex". It& #39;s not a real breath. It looks like a gasp. It indicates that there is an emergency (for Elijah, cardiac arrest)...his brain was not getting oxygen. 9 mo later, my heart and soul screamed "HE CAN& #39;T BREATHE" as I watched.
6/ Then I heard a paramedic indicate they should get him into the ambulance to "suction" him. Then he said it again w/more urgency...and I knew that he had seen it too. He saw the agonal breath in real time. Elijah didn& #39;t need to be suctioned. He needed immediate & effective CPR.
7/ Tragically, the viral video showing retired St. Louis police capt. David Dorn dying on a sidewalk (shot while responding to a pawn shop burglary during the protests) showed the same thing as he lay there bleeding out...with these agonal "breaths" which are not breaths at all.
8/ I had more things to say about the video and about Ketamine but I& #39;m feeling emotionally exhausted and probably just need to step away from the computer at this point...but willing to do a comprehensive review for free if I can reach the right folks. #medtwitter #BlackTwitter
