As Doctor (Maj.) Steve Messier pushes through what was shaping up to be an 80-hour work week, his face looks understandably tired. But despite the long hours, the neonatology fellow at Wilford Hall Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit never fails to forget the needs of the premature babies surrounding him.

“You always have to keep in the back of your mind that even when things are going OK for them, something could go really wrong at any minute,” said Dr. Messier.

When things do go wrong, the unit’s talented hands, warm hearts and state-of-the-art equipment take fast action.

The normal gestation period for infants is 40 weeks, with births prior to 37 weeks considered premature. The survival rate for babies born between 27 and 30 weeks is 95 percent, but those rates drop with every decreased week of gestation. The NICU has helped children born as early as 23 weeks survive, but despite superb care that keeps preemie survival rates at WHMC on par with leading U.S. hospitals, sometimes a baby’s organs simply have not matured enough to function as would a healthy, full-term baby.

The NICU is a special place where the best technology has to offer unites with the best human beings have to offer–kindness, compassion and character.
Advertisement

Equipment and emotions

One of the more remarkable technological capabilities the NICU offers is the Department of Defense’s only Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation machine, which provides life-saving heart-lung bypass. When combined with the airlift abilities of the Air Force, the NICU is uniquely qualified to save babies virtually anywhere in the world. In fact, that help goes well beyond the military family, extending to foreign families in remote locations. With the help of aircrews, they have saved the lives of children from as far off as Okinawa, Japan.

To date, more than 150 patients have been ECMO treated by the unit, 62 of them needing ECMO transport. Predicted survival rates of children without ECMO transport are at less than 20 percent, but when Airmen from this unit step in, those rates rocket to greater than 70 percent.

Technology is only part of what nurtures these babies to good health. As 1st Lt. Carla Sutton prepares to clean Gavin White’s tracheotomy tube, she caresses the soft wisps of hair on his head. His round rosy face reflects nothing but bliss as her gentle touch comforts him. Sometimes it seems as if the best medicine is a loving touch.

Gavin was born at only 28 weeks and suffers from a narrow airway, which will likely require the breathing tube and a ventilator for at least his first year. At two months old, he weighs well more than 4 pounds, a weight that looks almost hefty in a room of cribs with babies that sometimes weigh less than a can of Coke.

Gavin’s parents, Tech. Sgts. Marsha and Jeremiah White, glow with pride over their little boy as they watch him get bigger and healthier. The task of caring for children with such serious medical problems is one that requires eternal vigilance, and the Whites are grateful to have such a great staff watching over their baby.

Peace of mind

At a time when hundreds of thousands of military members are focusing on defeating enemies at home and abroad, the NICU goes to great lengths to ensure military families have piece of mind when their children or wives are at great risk of dying during or following birth.

That task–providing night and day care for an average of 17 “preemies”–is one that requires a gifted staff of more than 60 dedicated doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists, as well as many others. The staff enlists the help of parents as much as possible, allowing them to take their child’s temperature, change diapers or clean their mouths that often have tubes leading to their bellies and lungs. Parents yearning to touch their babies relish the responsibilities.

Victoria Sanford, 20, whose husband Brandon is a K-9 handler at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., visits their baby girl Annissa at least three times a day. Annissa was born 11 weeks early and weighed only one pound, three ounces. Her weight has more than doubled after 51 days of loving care in the NICU.

The constant worry and stress over their baby’s health takes a toll on parents as they ride an emotional roller coaster. Experiencing feelings of helplessness when they learn of their child’s illnesses, parents find comfort knowing when such crises occur, this is the place to be.

“I will never stop worrying about her,” said Mrs. Sanford, “but I am so glad she’s here.”

Priceless Rewards

Though the staff normally wears blue scrubs, you’re reminded most of them are Airmen and Soldiers when you see the camouflaged battle dress uniforms clash with the peaceful setting where life is preserved and nurtured. As Nurse Michelle Barragan inserts a needle into the foot of a baby boy, he sobs and waives his tiny hands in the air.

“I’m sorry sweetie,” said the 34-year nurse, struggling to find a tiny vein. “It’s not without emotion, but you know the baby is going to get better because of it. We just give them a cuddle and blow them a kiss.”

Caption: SCRAPPING HIS SCRUBS: Famed cancer surgeon LaSalle D. Leffall Jr., M.D., is greeted by physicians, residents and staff of the Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C., after he performed a marathon round of seven surgeries on his final day of surgery after more than 50 years. Leffall, also an author, lecturer, and educator, has taught more than 5,000 medical students who have graduated from the Howard University College of Medicine. He has also helped train more than 250 general surgery residents since 1962. A graduate of Howard’s College of Medicine, Leffall ranked first in his 1952 class and is currently the Charles R. Drew Professor of Surgery, a designation he received in 1992, which is the first endowed chair in Howard’s surgery department. During his illustrious career, Leffall, a native of Tallahassee, FL, has received several accolades, including honorary degrees from 11 institutions, and was the first Black president of many organizations, including the American Cancer Society and the Society of Surgical Oncology. Although the internationally-known physician is stepping down from his post, he will work in the hospital’s department of surgery along with his successor, Wayne Frederick, M.D., and will continue to teach at Howard. He and his wife, Ruthie, have one son.

Medical scrubs are used for many things in the hospital, in the medical setting. From the elderly care home, to the doctor’s office, the dental office, and to the hospital setting or the emergency care facility, medical scrubs are used for many reasons. Medical scrubs are used and worn to identify who is talking to you, who is helping you, who is working in the office or in the facility, and overall it helps keep a cleanness about those who are working in the setting while control the feeling of over all professionalism in the setting.

Medial scrubs are for nurses. There are all types of colors to designate where a nurse works, or what level nurse they may be. For the nurse that is in training, that is an RN or an LPN, these medical nurses where different colors so doctors, and patients alike know exactly who they are dealing with and for what situation they are in.

Medical scrubs for doctors work in the same manner. For the doctor who is in training, who is a resident or who is in charge of the floor, the medical scrubs can vary. For the doctor who is in the ER and for the doctor in the surgery room, scrubs and sometimes vary. The colors will be different in various hospitals; this is not the rule in every hospital and in every setting where doctors are found.

If you do work in a doctor’s office, in a dental office or in a therapy situation where physical therapy takes place, you most likely have to wear scrubs to work everyday. In wearing scrubs to work everyday you know you are not carrying germs home, you are not going to be walking out of the hospital with bodily fluids on you and the over all changing of your clothes before leaving the area is going to help the mind set so you don’t feel as if you bring your work home with you all the time.

You don’t have to pay top dollar for medical scrubs, you can find medical scrubs online. The uniform local retailers often times have you pay more than you will online. Buying online is going to save you money. The big difference is in buying power. Because the local retailer can only purchase so many at a time, for budget reasons, the prices are going to be higher. The online retailer is serving many areas, even many countries at the same time, so their buying power is higher and you pay less in the long run.

Medical scrubs are used all over the world. In starting a business of your own, you may want to consider making medical scrubs the uniform that your employees wear. With the a uniform such as medical scrubs, there are no employees who are not dressed appropriately, and they are all in the same colors. There is no doubt as to who is an employee and who is not. A medical scrub uniform is going to protect your patients while giving that added look of professional appearance to your staff.

Medical scrubs are available online and offline. You can purchase pants, shirts, and even special shoes. If you need tops, bottom or you need particular medical scrubs that will last and stand up to your harsh long hours, you can find them all by typing in the words medical scrubs in your favorite search engine.

To find medical scrubs offline, and to compare to the prices you will find online, look in your yellow pages, and look under uniform supply retailer. Some larger stores like Sears or Penney’s will also carry special catalogs where you can purchase medical scrubs, or at least find and compare the prices to what you can purchase online.

Medical scrubs are worn by many types of professionals, not only doctors and nurses, but those who are in the dental field, in the hair transplant field and even those who are in physical therapy. If you are considering any job in the medical field, you could very well be wearing medical scrubs for a long time to come. Medical scrubs are a way for you to protect yourself during surgery, while dealing with patients, and for patients to realize who you are and also that they are dealing with a professional. It can be easy to find medical scrubs, but finding the medical scrubs that are going to be affordable is what we aim to provide you with.

The colors of the uniform

Medical scrubs often times are available in many different colors. Depending on the rules and regulations of where you are working, you may be able to choose from solid colors, or a color that fits your level in your job. Sometimes those who work with children will wear prints of teddy bears or hearts, while those who are involved in surgery will wear green. Often times those who work head on with patients will wear green, and often times nurses are going to wear white in the emergency room. Be sure to check with your employer before making a purchase, so you know if you are permitted to wear anything that is out of the norm for your job.

As times change, the clothing worn by doctors and nurses in the hospital have changed, too. They used to wear starched white uniforms accompanied by a white cap, white stockings, white socks and a fitted dress. But now this traditional dress has been replaced by medical scrubs.

Medical scrubs, or medical dress, have become the uniform of those who work in the medical field. Today’s medical scrubs are available in many designs, patterns, colors and materials. It’s easy to choose the best medical scrub for your needs. The Internet offers a wide array of medical scrubs made by various companies. If you want to take advantage of wholesale discounts, you can pool buying resources with your colleagues and buy in bulk. This will lower the per-piece price for everyone in the pool.

Drawstring pants and pullover tops have replaced traditional front button and back buttoned scrubs. These are generally more comfortable for the medical staff to wear. You can also find medical scrubs decorated with cartoon characters, which are mainly worn by the doctors and nurses working in childcare and pediatric departments. This helps make the children feel comfortable. Most medical scrubs are made of cotton or poly-cotton blends, as they are comfortable and resist bad smells.

The Internet is the best place to find medical scrubs at a reasonable price. But before buying one, make sure that the company is legitimate, and also be aware of their return policy. So if you are starting a medical practice you can buy the best medical scrub on the market, for complete comfort and maximum mobility.

Nursing uniforms have witnessed a great evolution during the last century or so. In the first two decades of the 20th century, a nurse’s uniform usually was an ankle-length dress with detachable collar and neck. The front of the dress was covered by a massive starched apron and a cap, resembling a mushroom, announced her professional identity.

In the course of the next few decades, the uniforms underwent a huge change: the starched aprons were given a farewell, and hems and sleeves were cut short. The styles often reflected the mode of the time, albeit in a conservative manner. Graduate nurses normally wore white, and student nurses sometimes wore blue, pink or checked uniforms, so that the two could be distinguished by color. Nurses wore capes for outer wear, mostly navy blue with red lining, embroidered with hospital initials.

With the advent of the ‘70s, hospitals began to relax the rules and uniforms were done away with. Now most nurses can choose their own clothing, which in most cases is a pantsuit or comfortable surgery “scrub suit.”

Scrubs are usually made from a 65/35 polyester/cotton blend for durability, although some are made with 100% cotton to ensure maximum comfort. These run the risk of shrinking and fading after washing, however. One can find unisex medical scrubs also that are meant for both men and women.

Different hospitals follow different attire policies. In some hospitals, you are free to choose your own colors and styles. Some will provide you scrubs to be worn on the premises only (washed daily and reused). And some will purchase scrubs for you.

The final decision usually rests with the authorities, though your views may not be ignored altogether. Some hospitals insist on a blue-scrubs-only policy in the operating room, in order to prevent patients from getting infected. One should also remember that wearing a tee shirt underneath one’s scrub, if it extends beyond the scrub, can increase chances of infection.

If I asked you to picture a surgeon in your mind’s eye, you almost certainly would picture an individual in medical scrubs (most likely white or green scrubs), wearing a mask, etc. But it hasn’t always been that way. Medical scrubs are actually a relatively modern practice.

Until the 20th century, surgery was (compared to today’s standards) a rather crude operation, which did not really involve any sanitation, least of all anything like medical scrubs. Sterilization was not even a consideration, because there was really no understanding of how disease and germs spread. Many scientists believed in spontaneous generation, meaning that germs spontaneously generated from nothing. Little or no consideration was given to basic sanitation, so the mortality rate was very high.

Actually, many surgeons wore a butcher’s apron, and since they did not don a clean one between patients, it would become very soiled by blood and fluids. So a dirty apron was just meant a busy surgeon.

Around 1920, sanitation methods began to be employed in the operating room. By the 1940’s, an increased understanding of operation sanitation motivated the introduction of sanitary drapes and attire for the medical personnel.

Originally, the scrubs were white, to emphasize and display their cleanliness. However, this presented several problems. First of all, red blood splotches were quite unsightly on white clothing. Also, the all white clothing, when coupled with bright lighting, cause eye strain. So they began switching from white to green clothing.

By the 1970’s, scrubs had largely become what they are today: a short sleeve shirt and drawstring pants, in most cases, made of green cotton.

All medical scrubs are not green, though. Many hospitals color code their uniforms according to departments. For example, Emergency Room staff would wear pink, Surgery staff would wear green, and Labor and Delivery Room staff would wear blue. Or, in university hospitals, the staff may wear colors corresponding to the school colors.

NEW YORK–There are many ways that “Scrubs” mirrors the healing profession.

The NBC medical comedy is fast-paced, even crazed. It operates with surgical precision. Like any hospital inpatient, you at home may experience it lying down.

“Scrubs,” though very funny, has its dramatic, even catastrophic moments.

“One of every three patients who’s admitted to this place will die here,” said John (J.D.) Dorian, a callow intern and the hero of “Scrubs,” in an early episode.

Patients do die on “Scrubs.” But more often, they survive a comedic regimen that parallels modern medicine more than any viewer would like to believe.

The whole nutty enterprise is seen through the eyes of J.D., who, played by Zach Braff, has a well-meaning but uncertain attitude he exhibits in numerous ways: by behavior; by his wry monologues second- guessing it, and by fantasy sequences that dramatize his interior conflict.

For instance, his attempt to project confidence is contradicted by his own self-image as someone like a “deer in the headlights.”

“No matter who you are,” says Braff, “you can relate to how J.D. wants to put out something that’s different from the way he’s actually feeling. For most people, there’s a constant battle between who you want to be, and who your insecurities are telling you you really are.

“I think, at its core, that’s what the show is about.”

But its fans may find more. “Scrubs” (which, in its second season, airs 7:30 p.m. Thursdays over WMAQ-Channel 5) represents a social structure most people initially encounter about seventh grade, and never graduate beyond. At Sacred Heart Hospital, there’s even a “high school bully”–the janitor who, for unknown reasons, never misses a chance to terrorize J.D.

Oddly enough, it IS a real place, or, at least, used to be: “Scrubs” is filmed in a former Los Angeles-area hospital building.

“The production offices and writers’ offices are there,” Braff says. “Even the sets that aren’t hospital locations, like the apartment and the bar, are built there. And our dressing rooms are converted hospital rooms.

Now 27, Braff has come a long way from the East Orange, N.J., community theater where his dad was a star and 9-year-old Zach “was the mascot. I thought I was the coolest kid in the world.”

He’s in a pretty cool spot now (especially slotted right after “Friends”).

After reading about Dr. Shailaja Valluri in “Medical Mailbox,” I was happy to get the Post’s videotape interview with her.

She did a great job of explaining blepharitis and the treatment of it, but I have a suggestion for the daily scrubs she recommends.

A nurse in my ophthalmologist’s office told me an easier way to perform Dr. Valluri’s treatment, and it saves much time in this daily chore.

My nurse suggested that I could keep a bottle of Johnson’s Baby Shampoo half filled with water and half with shampoo. This can then be poured on the corners of small wash-cloths which I boil after laundering.

These make convenient scrubs, and the whole process is much faster.

Dr. Valluri had suggested dipping a Q-tip into a half-cup of water with three drops of Johnson’s Baby Shampoo for the scrub. Too time-consuming!

But thanks to her TV program, I have taken the chore of doing the preventive maintenance on my eyelids seriously.

I scrub my eyebrows with the Johnson’s Baby Shampoo when I finish with my eyelashes.

The start of a second series for the playful US comedy (above, the cast) about the bizarre experiences of a medical intern as he pursues his career in a surreal hospital. Zach Braff stars as JD, who is apparently no wiser since he started at the hospital - and still in the lower reaches of the hospital pecking order. Tonight, he attempts to patch up his relationship with Elliott (Sarah Chalke) after Jordan tells the staff about her one- night stand with him.

H Animals at War 7.15pm Five

Fascinating little documentary tracing the use of dolphins and sea lions by the US Navy. In the 1950s, the US studied the sleek shape and sonar capabilities of dolphins, hoping to use the results to build better ships and submarines. Then they realised the animals’ potential for carrying out tasks in place of human.