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Iwakuni Nurse Wins Patent for Medical Kit
Story Number: NNS030529-24
Release Date: 6/1/2003 7:39:00 PM
By Bill Doughty, U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka Public Affairs
IWAKUNI, Japan (NNS) -- With her severe allergies to wheat flour and cheese, the last thing baby Leah Narte needed was a bite of her brother’s pizza.
The resulting allergic reaction earned her an emergency response at the Branch Medical Clinic at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in southern Japan.
Severe allergic reactions can send a person into anaphylactic shock and a life-threatening shutdown of their airway. Luckily, the Iwakuni Clinic now has pre-packed kits of information and medications, developed by Navy Nurse, Lt. Gino Narte, Leah’s dad.
Leah, like millions of people, is allergic to many different foods, pollen and animals. In a severe reaction, she becomes extremely swollen and itchy, and has difficulty breathing.
“She’s been taken to our Urgent Care Clinic about six times now,” said Narte. “She almost died on me back in December 2001.”
Back then, staff members had to look for medications stored separately and calculate dosages depending on the age, size and severity of the patient. Now, they grab a kit, tear it open and are ready to respond.
Adult kits and child kits are pre-packed with a dosage calculation sheet and all the medications needed. Healthcare providers evaluate the type and severity of the allergic reaction – “mild,” “moderate” or “severe” – then follow the printed instructions.
It saves a lot of time, according to Narte.
“Time is important in response to an emergent allergic reaction, cause you’re concerned about their breathing - you’re concerned about their airway.”
Narte received notification and certification from the Library of Congress that his pre-packed kits had been awarded a U.S. patent May 16.
According to Officer in Charge of Branch Medical Clinic Iwakuni, Cmdr. Don Albia, “It’s really a true satisfaction for us – this little place – that a lot of folks are doing a lot of great things.”
A commandwide philosophy of staff empowerment allowed the innovation to occur.
“The staff here knows they don’t have any boundaries,” said Albia. “All they have to do is reach out and set their sights. If it’s something that’s doable, if it’s not against the rules, if it’s not hurting anybody, then go for it.”
Narte, who will leave Iwakuni soon after a three-year tour, notes that the new kits have helped the clinic reduce hospitalization costs, and return adult patients back to work.
But what inspired him to create the innovative packets was his daughter.
“Since we came up with this, it’s been great,” he said. “She’s been taken care of.”
Narte hopes the packets will become known as “Leah Kits,” and that they’ll be used at other military treatment facilities.
For more information about the lifesaving packets, contact the Iwakuni Clinic public affairs representative, Lt. Lloyd Davis, at davislv@nhyoko.med.navy.mil.
For related news, visit the U. S. Naval Hospital, Yokosuka, Japan Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/nhyoko.
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