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Shrapnel from victims handed to police
Enough shrapnel to fill dozens of shopping bags has been removed from the flesh of Bali bomb victims. But some pieces of metal will be left where they are - embedded in the bodies of the wounded. Metal fragments and ball bearings surgically removed by doctors at Royal Darwin Hospital are being given to investigators searching for evidence following the weekend attacks in Kuta and at Jimbaran Bay. Australian Federal Police officers have been collecting the evidence after its removal from the arms, legs, stomach, scalp and chest of victims airlifted to Darwin from Bali. "I don't think there's a part of the body where we've not seen a fragmentation injury to," trauma surgeon David Read said. Nine Australians, including two critically injured patients believed to be Maryanne Purkiss, 43, and Eric Pilar, 50, were on Tuesday night being treated at Royal Darwin Hospital for wounds suffered when three suicide bombers struck on Saturday. All nine are from Newcastle and will be transferred to John Hunter Hospital in their home town in a RAAF Hercules jet on Wednesday. A further three critically injured patients - two Japanese men and an Indonesian man - will continue to receive treatment in Darwin. "All nine patients from Newcastle have been assessed by our clinical staff and we have assessed them as being suitable for transfer back to Newcastle tomorrow," Northern Territory Chief Health Officer Tarun Weeramanthri said. "It's really important for patients to feel close to their family and friends". The flight is expected to take four or five hours. All have undergone surgery to remove many ball bearings, pieces of nails, metal and glass from their bodies. Some will face many more operations over coming days and weeks. But in some cases the shrapnel is being left where it is. "If the fragment is in a safe place and is able to be removed and it's not time consuming it will be removed," Dr Read said. "But at this stage, if the fragment is in a dangerous area or was too time consuming to remove it, if it's safe to be left, it will be left. "This is war surgery, you do not want lengthy surgery. "You want to get the minimum done, the wounds clean, the effects from the shrapnel ameliorated and get the patient back to ICU (intensive care unit) where they can be stabilised and you can deal with other issues at a later stage." He said the procedure was not dissimilar to the concept in the TV program M.A.S.H. "where you just do the basics that you have to and get them out." Hospital general manager Len Notaras said police were collecting the shrapnel as it was removed from injured victims. "Australian federal agents, working in conjunction with their Indonesian counterparts, ... need to obtain those fragments for the purpose of the ongoing investigation so the perpetrators can be identified," Mr Notaras said. "They are forensic evidence and I would suggest that any of the victims who happen to have (any fragments) ... to declare that to officials so they can then use that as part of the ongoing investigation. "We have federal agents on site ... collecting the samples. "Several dozen ... large paper bags, shopping bags, have been filled up with various aspects of the shrapnel that's been picked up and retained." |
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Tuesday
Oct 4 17:56 AEST