Tue | Mar 17, 2026

May Pen Hospital milestone

Team saves patient in critical cardiac emergency

Published:Tuesday | March 17, 2026 | 12:08 AM
Pause
From left: Dr Jevonne McIntosh, medical officer in the Anesthesiology Department; Dr Amoy Ellis, medical officer in the A&E Department, Dr Natoya Hall-Okori, acting consultant in the A& E Department; Dr Andrea Johnson, A & E consultant and Dr O’Rane Thom
Contributed
From left: Dr Jevonne McIntosh, medical officer in the Anesthesiology Department; Dr Amoy Ellis, medical officer in the A&E Department, Dr Natoya Hall-Okori, acting consultant in the A& E Department; Dr Andrea Johnson, A & E consultant and Dr O’Rane Thomas, senior registrar in general surgery.
Doctors, nurses and medical students listen during the “Coordinated Care in Penetrative Cardiac Trauma” seminar at May Pen Hospital where the historic cardiac trauma case was presented on Thursday.
Contributed
Doctors, nurses and medical students listen during the “Coordinated Care in Penetrative Cardiac Trauma” seminar at May Pen Hospital where the historic cardiac trauma case was presented on Thursday.
May Pen Hospital
AP
May Pen Hospital
1
2
3

In a first for May Pen Hospital (MPH), a multidisciplinary team has saved the life of a patient who arrived with a stab wound to the heart – an achievement the hospital describes as a milestone in its expanding ability to manage complex trauma.

Dr Natoya Hall-Okori, acting consultant in the Accident and Emergency Department, said the severity of the case was clear within minutes.

“A patient came in with a stab wound to the heart. Within five minutes of presentation, we identified cardiac tamponade,” she said, referring to the build-up of blood around the heart that prevents it from pumping.

The team performed an emergency pericardiocentesis and coordinated a rapid transfer from the emergency room to the operating room alongside anaesthesiology and general surgery.

“The patient had open-heart surgery, repair of the cardiac injury, and survived. Subsequently the patient went into cardiac arrest – what we would say died – and we resuscitated,” she added.

Dr O’Rane Thomas, senior registrar in general surgery, said the surgical team found significant damage. “When the patient came to the operating room, we opened the chest and found a single stab wound in the left atrium. We were able to compress the area, apply a clamp, isolate it, and repair it using sutures,” he said.

The patient recovered steadily and, following close monitoring, was discharged. Follow-up visits confirmed a full recovery.

Dr Hall-Okori said the case reflects the hospital’s investment in professional development and trauma-care protocols. “We have the team. The Southern Regional Health Authority sent us to the University Hospital of the West Indies; we were trained, we came back home, and we’re bringing back what we learned. We’re very hopeful that MPH will be one of the best hospitals in the Southern Regional Health Authority and in Jamaica–the Caribbean even. Expect more of this to come,” she said.

The case was reviewed during a “Coordinated Care in Penetrative Cardiac Trauma” seminar at the hospital on Thursday. The presentation highlighted the speed and coordination among Accident & Emergency, Surgery, Anaesthesiology, Nursing and Laboratory teams – collaboration that ultimately saved the patient’s life.