Dr. Azeemuddin Ahmed
Dr. Azeem is well known across the state and beyond as a great
physician, scholar and all around great guy. I will showcase his
many clinical and academic achievements shortly but I want to
first address the last item. With all of the responsibility of
being a great clinician, leader, mentor and scholar his schedule
is quite full. There has never been a time that I have called
upon him or met him in the hallway at the University of Iowa
while delivering a patient that he has not taken the time to
stop and chat a minute. I am always met with a positive outlook
and a genuine smile no matter the circumstance. This goes a long
ways to feel important to someone we all look up to even if that
was the last thing on his agenda for the day.
He has too many to list achievements and awards throughout
his career and his active roles are many and the following is
just a list of a few:
- Clinical professor and executive vice chair, Division
director and fellowship director, emergency medical services
department of
emergency medicine University of Iowa Carver College of
Medicine
- Medical director, bureau of emergency medical and trauma
services Iowa Department
of Health and Human Services
- Clinical Professor Carver College of Medicine U of I
- Executive Vice Chair Department of Emergency Medicine U of
I
- Founding EMS Fellowship Director U of I
- Founding Division of EMS Director Department of Emergency
Medicine U of I
- Medical Director of Kinnick Stadium and Carver Hawkeye
Arena
- Faculty Emergency Physician U of I ED
- EMS Physician / Director UI Med 1 EMS Physicians
- Medical Director, Bureau of Emergency Medical and Trauma
Services IDPH
One specific call I would like to highlight from working with
him resulted in a field amputation of a trapped patient. The
call came out as a patient trapped in a piece of industrial
machinery in a rural setting with Fire, EMS and Air Transport
dispatched as appropriate. Very
shortly into the call it was determined that removal from the
machinery was not a possibility due to the size location of the
equipment. After much thought, problem solving and exhaustion of
options it was determined that a field amputation needed to be
done. Local hospitals were contacted with an overly busy day and
an MCI with Trauma Alerts coming to the hospital a local option
was not a viable plan. The ambulance crew consulted with the air
and fire crews and determined that there was a known service
from the University of Iowa that could possibly make the drive
to help out.
Johnson County Dispatch was called and UI Med 1 physicians
were dispatched to the scene. I was medical command on that
scene and cannot be more complimentary of the entire process
with everyone involved. The crews together managed pain and
injuries while waiting for all of the puzzle pieces to come
together for a conscious and alert patient. Once we were ready,
the entire process of RSI, Ventilation, Field amputation,
patient extrication and transport was very efficient with clear
communication and defined roles. The location was a below ground
confined space with poor lighting and far from sterile, which is
certainly not the environment that a physician and surgeon are
used to working in. The patient was flown directly to the U of I
ED and a full debrief of the events was conducted with all
responders before we left the scene. To this day I am incredibly
grateful for all of the teams involved in a very complex and
methodical process that I am still trying to wrap my head around
with a great outcome. As I opened with, this was all met with a
positive, can do approach that overwhelmed the demeanor of the
scene.
I’m sure this is one of several scenarios that could have
been used to showcase the positive, professional and supportive
nature that is exhibited with every contact.
