Investigating Natasha Richardson's Death; Healthy Foods That Could Be Keeping You From Losing Those Last Few Pounds
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN HOST: Good morning. Welcome to HOUSE CALL, the show that helps you live longer and stronger. I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Thanks so much for watching. You know, there are still some unanswered questions about Natasha Richardson's tragic death. I decided to investigate. I headed to the slopes to talk with experts to try and get some answers about this. And, headaches and the weather. I get these headaches all the time. Learn why erratic temperatures could be making you sick. Then, healthy foods -- yes, healthy foods that could be keeping you from losing those last few pounds. Sound familiar? We've got the culprits. But first, the untimely death of Tony Award-winning actress Natasha Richardson. It was supposed to be a relaxing ski get away at Mont Tremblant in eastern Canada. But 911 calls obtained by the Canadian newspaper, "Globe and Mail," it illustrates what some doctors in the Quebec Province have been saying publicly for quite some time, getting to a trauma center fast simply can't happen here no matter who you are.</s>GUPTA (voice-over): It was Monday, March 16th. The conditions were clear, cold and sunny on the Montain when the first 911 call went out. In French, an operator dispatches an ambulance to the Mont Tremblant resort. A woman has fallen. (on camera): 12:43 p.m., a call comes in. Natasha Richardson has fallen somewhere on these slopes, gentle beginner slopes. What no one could have known then was that when she fell, she hit her head hard enough to fracture her skull and start bleeding on top of her brain. The clock had started ticking for Natasha, and that closest trauma center, two-and-a-half hours away. (voice-over): Richardson likely doesn't know what was happening to her. She is up. She is walking. (on camera): By 1:00 p.m., 17 minutes after the initial call, an ambulance did arrive here, but Natasha Richardson was already heading back to her room. She said she felt fine. I can tell you, as a neurosurgeon, that's not unusual. Something has a significant blow to the head and then has what is known as lucid interval, where they do feel fine, but that pressure is still starting to build up in the brain. (voice-over): The paramedics are told to stand down. Richardson says she doesn't need medical attention. (on camera): The Mont Tremblant ski resort is considered one of the best in eastern Canada. Yet, there are no medical helicopter services here, which got us wondering if this was less about the tragic story of Natasha Richardson and more about anybody who chooses to ski here. Remember, the closest trauma hospital is two-and-a-half hours away. (voice-over): Richardson's story is about to take a turn. (on camera): 2:59 p.m., another 911 call comes in. Natasha Richardson has been at this resort for more than an hour and she's feeling sick. From a head injury like this, that typically means she has a headache, she's feeling disoriented, she may have trouble seeing. 3:09 p.m., about 10 minutes later, another ambulance comes in here. The paramedics go inside. They work on Natasha for about 33 minutes. Precious time here before they bring her back into the ambulance. What we now know is that she was suffering from an epidural hematoma. (voice-over): An epidural hematoma, it occurs when a blood clot forms between the skull and the outer layer of the brain. Too much pressure is causing brain damage. Every moment counts.</s>DR. LIAM DURKIN, NEUROLOGIST, MONTREAL NEUROLOGICAL INST.: When symptoms are apparent, it can be a matter of 30 minutes to an hour to 90 minutes before there is major deterioration.</s>GUPTA: Dr. Liam Durkin is a neurologist with the Montreal Neurological Institute.</s>DURKIN: It is a rapidly deteriorating situation and the distance might have been just too much by, you know, by ambulance.</s>GUPTA: And that's the point. It happened to be Natasha Richardson, but for anyone who suffers a head injury on this mountain, a trauma center maybe too far away. (on camera): Under the best of circumstances, it would have taken her a few hours, more than two hours to get to Montreal, the closest trauma center. Is that close enough?</s>DURKIN: It's difficult to say.</s>GUPTA (voice-over): Back in the ambulance, Richardson is lapsing in and out of consciousness. (on camera): It is now 4:20 p.m., Natasha Richardson is brought to this hospital here in Sainte-Agathe. It's only 38 minutes away. But here's the problem -- it is not a trauma center. And they can't provide the sort of care that Natasha needs. Keep in mind, it was recommended that anyone who has Natasha's condition needs to be at the trauma center within 60 to 90 minutes. It's now been three-and-a-half hours. (voice-over): Way too long since she fell on the mountain. And doctors here, without the right equipment, without the right facilities, eventually send her to a trauma center in Montreal. She arrives close to 7:00 p.m. Time has run out. Twenty-four hours later, she is flown to New York, where she's taken off life support and where she dies. Flight time from the Medevac helicopter from the mountain to a trauma center is about 15 minutes. So, could it have saved Natasha Richardson? No one can answer that question. But let's pose the question this way: if this happened to you, what would you want?</s>GUPTA: Now, that goes without saying, as a neurosurgeon, I always recommend people wear helmets when skiing. That's the first point. Also, I want to be clear, there are some excellent neurosurgeons in Montreal. Just getting to them, that maybe was the problem. Many of the officials talked to us about the area and on this issue but would not go on camera and refuse to make a comment officially. Now, here's a question: have you been having more headaches than normal? It could be the rising temperatures. I'm going to explain. And also, a third of smokers who want to quit may have some new inspiration, their pets. But first, this week's medical headlines. New evidence linking heart failure to people with larger waists, but it's not the weight that should have you concerned.