Saving Ronald Reagan

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Saving Ronald Reagan is a cable TV program on the History Channel that focused mainly on the medical efforts to save President Ronald Reagan's life. The program was produced about 25 years after the event and contained a mixture of actual footage, recreations and interviews with participants.

Contents

[edit] Gunshots

Six gunshots were fired in the direction of President Reagan, three hitting other people.

[edit] Trip to Hospital

[edit] White Telephone

The Emergency Room at George Washington University Hospital first heard about the shooting via a direct line from the White House connected to a white telephone on the Matron's desk. On hearing the news about the shooting, albeit vague, the Emergency Room was cleared of existing patients, and staff made their way down to the ground floor entrance to prepare for the president's arrival.

[edit] Hospital entrance

[edit] Emergency Ward

[edit] Surgery

[edit] Recovery ward

[edit] Nancy Reagan

Nancy Reagan insisted on making her way to the hospital when she heard the news, as might be expected, but as the TV program explained, Nancy was a doctor's daughter and knew better than to interfere in any was. She was guided instead to the small chaple on the OR floor.

[edit] Room For Improvement

A number of things could with hindsight have been done better.

  • while the medical staff struggled to find the bullet hole on Reagan's body, Reagan's suit, which had been cut away and which was laying on the floor, was not being examined for a bullet hole which logically would be in the same place. Several Secret Servicemen who were standing around could have done this task and help save valuable time.
  • The surgeon called for a second set of X-Rays since he was worried that the bullet might have moved. The X-ray machine was not hanging around waiting for this eventuality.
  • There might be reasons for leaving the bullet behind, but not if the bullet was tipped with toxic Lead azide. The secret service reported this information 3 hours after Reagan left the surgery room, fortunately with the bullet removed.