When Dayton “Junior” Pierce stopped by the UT Health Carthage emergency department to thank his care team, he was able to give them a wave goodbye when he left.
That small gesture is something his care team celebrated, especially since when they first met Pierce he was missing his fingers, the result of a woodworking accident in his garage at his Lake Murvaul home.
Pierce, 75, was working on a project for his wife in early October, using a miter saw to cut wood, when it slipped and cut off his fingers. His wife raced him to UT Health Carthage, where the emergency department team stabilized Pierce and prepared him to be flown by UT Health East Texas AIR 1 to Dallas, where he successfully underwent reattachment surgery.
“They knew exactly what to do and how to go about doing it,” Pierce said of the UT Health Carthage emergency department team, adding they went out of their way to calm him and make sure he was comfortable. “They were really good and they did their job well.”
ER Director Shelbea Comer said Pierce’s care involved activation of the trauma team, with a focus first on stop-the-bleed protocol to stop bleeding from the amputation, then preserving the digits and preparing the patient for a successful reattachment surgery.
“The ER physician also immediately began the communication with the transfer team to transfer the patient for reattachment, all while jumping into action to stabilize the patient per trauma guidelines,” Comer said. “The team worked quickly and efficiently, with each trauma team member doing their part to give the patient the best chance at a positive outcome.”
Pierce said he was especially touched when Comer asked if she could pray with him. “I said, ‘Heck yes!’”
He said he returned to show the team how well his hand had healed (he’s back to using the miter saw less than a year later) and to say thank you for the care he received.
“I went back in there and showed them my hand, and they were all really amazed,” he said. “I thanked them a lot for the service they gave.”
Comer said emergency department caregivers don’t always know the outcome once their patients leave the ER, so it was great for the team to see how well Pierce was doing.
“To know that our team played a part in his successful treatment and recovery is just a blessing,” Comer said.