Life-Saving

A Technion physician increases the odds
for victims in collapsed buildings.

RUTHAN BRODSKY

SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

he passion of Dr. Ori Bet- mainly to crushed heads and chests
ter about his medical mission and asphyxiation.
Approximately 20 percent will sur-
emanates from his body lan-
vive the catastrophe, whether the
guage and his voice.
Dr. Ori
collapse is caused by an earth-
"Other physicians
Better:
quake, a car bombing, or a mis-
can sometimes rid a
Speed is sile attack.
cancer from a patient, critical.
When Dr. Better speaks about
repair a heart, or treat an infec-
saving lives, he's only referring
tion, but I can actually change the
mortality rate after a major catastro- to this 20 percent.
Dr. Better designed a procedure in
phe," says Dr. Better, one of the
founders of the Faculty of Medicine at which victims buried in rubble are giv-
the Technion-Israel Institute of Tech- en a saline solution intravenously be-
fore they are completely excavated.
nology in Haifa, Israel.
N-
"It is a powerful feeling to be able to The research shows that victims who CT)
save lives and one that I find energiz- do not receive fluids until they're out
ing. What perplexes me, however, is of the building or arrive at the hospi-
why so many other countries won't tal are likely to die from renal failure Cr)
take our advice or even our help when within one to two weeks.
>-
"Our hospital is located in I Iaifa, in CC
it is offered."
Dr. Better told American Technion northern Israel, where you can always
Society audiences in Detroit this feel the hidden war," Dr. Better says, z
month that within minutes of the sud- referring to the fighting along the Is-
den total leveling of an eight-story con- raeli-Lebanese border. "We're corn-
crete building, 80 percent of the people
inside will die. These fatalities are due FLUIDS page 70

09