Dr. Justin Binstead

My Proud Story...

I’ve had numerous patients over the years that have had a profound impact on me, both for good reasons and some for unfortunate outcomes. However, one patient that I took care of about a year ago still stands out in my mind.

The patient is a young college student who had three previous episodes of idiopathic angioedema that required her to be intubated and placed on a ventilator. She was in the area visiting a friend. She was at dinner and began to experience tongue and lip swelling with the feeling of her throat closing, similar to previous events.

She arrived in the ER with profound angioedema. We decided that we would have to intubate her and place her on a ventilator until her condition was resolved. She understood, but asked if I could call her mom, and also advised me that certain medications used for sedation simply don’t work on her.

She was with her friend and as we set up for a difficult intubation, I called her mom and informed her of what we were doing and she understood and was grateful for the update. The young lady underwent intubation successfully, but her friend told me that she was still awake, even though she was intubated. I assured her that the medications we administered are very strong and that she is asleep.

At that point, I felt a hand grab my hand. I looked down and she was completely calm, shaking her head “no.” I sheepishly asked if she would like more medicine or if I should just stand there and hold her hand, and she grabbed my hand tighter. Eventually enough medications took effect so she was properly sedated.

A few weeks later, I received a card from the patient detailing how “I saved her life.” She vividly recalled me holding her hand. She said it calmed her more than any medication she had ever received.

You never know the impact you can have on another life.

Dr. Justin Binstead
Director of Emergency Services
Hired in 2014