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Oxygen treatments begin for lone Sago mine survivor in Pittsburgh

Oxygen treatments begin for lone Sago mine survivor in Pittsburgh

Bill Wade, Post-Gazette
Medical personnel bring Randal McCloy Jr. into Allegheny General Hospital, where he started receiving intensive oxygen treatment tonight.
Click photo for larger image.

The lone survivor of the Sago Mine disaster was starting intensive oxygen treatment at a Pittsburgh hospital tonight after a doctor expressed concern the patient wasn't responding as quickly as expected.

Randal McCloy Jr. arrived at 5 p.m. at Allegheny General Hospital along with his wife Anna after being transferred from West Virginia University Hospital for treatment.

At a 7:30 p.m. news conference Dr. Richard Shannon, AGH's chair of medicine, said McCloy was in stable condition, although critically ill as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning.

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"This is a miracle. I cannot tell you why Mr. McCloy survived and the others didn't. He obviously suffered a serious injury," Dr. Shannon said.

Mr. McCloy is currently sedated -- not in a coma, he said. "It is our goal to make sure there's no further injury. We're going to try to stabilize his condition."

The treatment calls for 90 minutes of hyperbaric treatment with pressurized oxygen two times a day, with an initial evaluation after 72 hours. Full recovery may take a few weeks, he said. "I am not expecting Mr. McCloy to jump up at the end of this treatment," Dr. Shannon said. "Complete recovery will take a long time and we plan to keep him here until we have exhausted the benefits [of the treatment]."

One treatment had already been administered by the time of the news briefing and Mr. McCloy, 26, was resting comfortably and seemed to have tolerated it well, Dr. Shannon said.

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West Virginia First Lady Gayle Manchin also addressed the press conference. She had accompanied the McCloys to Pittsburgh and said the family wanted to express their deep gratitude for the public's support.

At an earlier 5 p.m. press conference in Morgantown, Dr. Larry Roberts, director of WVU's trauma center, said the plan is for Mr. McCloy to receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy at AGH and then return to Morgantown for care.

The WVU doctors consulted with experts around the country before deciding to give the treatment a try.

"Hyperbaric oxygen therapy at a time like this offers a slim potential for improved neurologic outcomes," Dr. Roberts said. "That's why we did it."

Mr. McCloy left for Allegheny General by ambulance soon after 4 p.m.

"We do not have a hyperbaric chamber in Morgantown capable of managing a patient on a ventilator," Dr. Roberts said. Allegheny General was the closest hospital with the necessary equipment.

The doctor noted that Mr. McCloy had some neurologic improvement since yesterday, but added that he was not medically stable enough to consider transporting him to Pittsburgh any sooner. At a press conference earlier this afternoon, Mr. McCloy's doctor said he was in a coma and may have brain damage.

Mr. McCloy remained in critical condition and was struggling with the effects of oxygen deprivation to his vital organs, including his brain, Dr. John Prescott told reporters at West Virginia University's Ruby Memorial Hospital.

Prescott said Mr.McCloy's coma was not medically induced and that drugs initially used to sedate him were wearing off, but "he is not waking up as we had hoped he would do."

"We do believe there has been some injury at this point to the brain," Dr. Prescott said.

Doctors performed a brain-function test this morning but did not have the results back, Dr. Prescott said. It was too early to tell how well Mr. McCloy's brain will recover, Mr. Prescott said.

Mr. McCloy's collapsed lung was reinflated and functioning, but he remained on a respirator, Dr. Prescott said. He also had kidney problems, likely from staying in one position for too long, and liver troubles, from lack of fluids.

Mr. McCloy was rescued early yesterday after being trapped in the Sago Mine near Tallmansville, W.Va., for more than 42 hours. A dozen other miners died.

Hyperbaric chambers surround patients with pressurized oxygen. They have been in use for decades, generally for treating people with acute carbon monoxide poisoning or for treating deep sea divers suffering from decompression sickness, or "the bends."

Other uses have been proposed for hyperbaric therapy, such as speeding healing and helping the body fight infections.

Allegheny General's hyperbaric chamber is a clear plastic cylinder about three feet in diameter and long enough to accommodate an adult. Patients are slid into place through a hatch on one end of the cylinder.


More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Associated Press contributed to this story.

First Published: January 5, 2006, 5:00 a.m.

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