Click here . Click here . She was white as a ghost and barely conscious. Police heroics at Columbine High School were quickly followed up by the medical task of lifesaving that doctors last week described nonchalantly as almost routine. Three of the patients at Swedish, including Anne Marie, arrived with six minutes inside that golden window of opportunity.
Doctors remain circumspect about the chances of complete recovery for some victims.
Dr. J. Adair Prall at St. Anthony Hospital Central, who treated Patrick Ireland after he was shot in the forehead and pushed himself out of the library window to safety, said the youth was not bleeding to death when he reached the facility. But Patrick can't understand simple requests, and his language and motor skills have been at least temporarily compromised. In interviews and press briefings, doctors and nurses said they were prepared for the crisis that engulfed them. Dana Pepper, vice president for clinical operations at Swedish, said the center expected to receive more patients and could have handled them. Because it was closest to the high school, Swedish Medical Center received the first wave.