8
A Year in Review 2012 – 2013:
Programs
Courage Lives Here
9
Surgical and Critical Care
Courage is...
going the
distance
UHN lung expert saves lives in Brazil
A Brazilian nightclub fire left Artur, above with his parents, in critical condition. UHN’s Dr. Marcelo Cypel, right, helped save his life with
special artificial lung technology.
(Photo at left: Juglans Alvarez; Photo at right: David Cooper, Toronto Star)
On January 27, 2013, Dr. Marcelo Cypel turned on the
TV and was horrified. A fire had broken out in a nightclub
in Brazil — killing hundreds and leaving many others
critically injured.
News footage showed those who survived gasping for air
outside the club as firefighters fought desperately to get
more people out.
“The TV images of young people performing CPR on their
friends in front of the club stayed with me,” said the UHN
thoracic surgeon and lung specialist.
So much so, he felt he needed to help.
The UHN doctor is trained in the Extra-Corporeal Lung
Support (ECLS) Program.
He’s an expert using the ECLS machine, which performs
the lungs’ essential function.
He knew his expertise in this area would be of great
use to medical teams caring for victims with smoke
damage to their lungs.
Phone consultations took place with local medical teams,
and the Brazilian Minister of Health asked him to help
identify victims who would benefit from the ECLS
treatment.
At UHN, the ECLS team, comprised of thoracic surgeons,
intensivists, respirologists, perfusionists and nurses, had
emergency strategy meetings and promptly developed
a plan.
By February 2, Cypel was on a flight to his native land.
‘It was very shocking’
Within hours, he was in the operating room, working
desperately to save the lives of as many victims as
he could.
“It was very shocking to see such young people side by
side with lung problems, amputations and burns,” said
Cypel, noting that when he arrived in Porto Alegre, 50
patients were being treated in five hospital intensive
care units.
Within two days, Cypel had assessed the situation and
identified patients who could be saved with artificial lung
support.
TGH chief perfusionist Cyril Serrick and ICU nurse Lina
Karkanawi then joined Cypel in Brazil to assist in training
the local health care teams.
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Continued on page 10...)
(Graphic: AFP)
Brazil
