The Incident
Mischer Neuroscience Institute at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center (TMC) and TIRR Memorial Hermann took the national stage when U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was transferred to TMC’s Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit on Friday, Jan. 21, 2011. The Arizona congresswoman was shot in the head at pointblank range on Jan. 8 when an assailant opened fire outside a grocery store in Tucson, Arizona, killing six people and wounding 13 others. She was transported to University Medical Center of Tucson in critical condition, where a portion of her skull was removed to relieve brain swelling.
In a press conference immediately following Rep. Giffords’ transition to TMC, medical teams from both hospitals described her transfer of care as “seamless.”
“It was a very smooth transfer, thanks to the collaborative efforts of both hospitals and the help of the U.S. Capitol Police and the Navy,” says Imoigele Aisiku, MD, medical director of the Neuroscience ICU and Neurosurgery Intermediate Care Unit at Mischer Neuroscience Institute. “She was medically stable when she arrived and began rehabilitation the following day. From medical data and our own experience, we know that the earlier we begin the rehabilitation process, the faster a patient will regain function down the road.”
Rep. Giffords’ physician team upgraded her condition from serious to good four days after her admission to the Institute, and she was transferred to TIRR Memorial Hermann to begin inpatient rehabilitation. At TIRR, a multidisciplinary team of affiliated physicians, nurses and therapists who specialize in head trauma worked closely with Rep. Giffords to develop the best combination of therapies for a return to function.
“We’re like an orchestra,” says Gerard Francisco, MD, chief medical officer of TIRR Memorial Hermann and professor and chair of the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), who was in charge of Rep. Giffords’ care during her stay at TIRR. “The comprehensive rehabilitation services we provide treat the whole person and expedite recovery.”
“Because TIRR Memorial Hermann is [located close to TMC], she had the same physician team in two locations from day one,” says Dr. Aisiku, who is also vice chair of the division of Critical Care and an associate professor in the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery at McGovern Medical School. “I continued to see her during her stay at TIRR Memorial Hermann, and when she was readmitted to the acute care hospital for cranioplasty, her physical medicine and rehabilitation team saw her here. There were no walls between us.”
On May 18, a successful cranioplasty was performed to replace the piece of Rep. Giffords’ skull that was removed on Jan. 8. A plastic computer-generated implant was attached to her skull, along with a shunt to drain fluid, eliminating the need for a protective helmet.
Looking into the Future
On June 8, she celebrated another milestone – her 41st birthday. She also returned to Congress on Aug. 1.