As a surgeon I sat and watched the events unfold on television last Saturday and I was struck by how efficiently the emergency medical system responded to this major disaster. This was not some pre-rehearsed disaster drill, rather this was the real thing! On just another lazy Saturday morning I’m certain the emergency department at the University of Arizona Medical Center was in the process of seeing a few minor injuries, a couple of children with fever, and perhaps an elderly gentleman with chest pain. Suddenly, they were in the middle of what must have felt like a war zone. Helicopters and ambulances were arriving one after the other with critically injured patients including Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords. To describe such a scene as chaotic would be an understatement.

It’s truly remarkable how a civilian hospital and the personnel who work there were capable of shifting gears, becoming a major disaster management center in just a matter of minutes. It’s my understanding that 10 separate gunshot victims arrived at the University Medical Center, and all but one of them survived. The lone exception was nine-year-old Christina Green who had been shot in the chest. Regrettably, nothing could be done to reverse the mortal wound she suffered. As for the others, including representative Giffords, they were quickly and expertly transported into operating rooms where life-saving care was administered.

Over the last three and a half decades I have spent countless hours in hospital emergency departments caring for a variety of sick and injured patients including victims of trauma, and I can assure you that the remarkable actions of the trauma team in Tucson did not occur by accident. Trauma teams across the nation train regularly for such events and stand ready to deal with them whenever and wherever they may occur. So, if there is one thing positive that should come out of this tragedy, it is the realization that physicians and nurses and a variety of support personnel are ready and capable of dealing with even the most horrific acts of human violence or natural disaster. The results may not always be perfect, in fact sometimes an injury or illness is simply irreversible, but with God’s help the tireless efforts of dedicated individuals can, and often do, produce phenomenal results. 

One final point: Over the last several years the national discussion surrounding health care in the United States has consistently pointed to various statistics suggesting that we have less than quality care at a higher price than elsewhere in the world. Personally I reject that notion and would point to the events of January 8, 2011, in Tucson, Arizona as proof of the exceptional standards of American medicine.