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Warren Commission Hearings: Vol. III - Page 385« Previous | Next »

(Testimony of Dr. Malcolm Perry)

Mr. Specter.
Mr. Oswald from trauma room number two which you have already described up to the operating room?
Dr. PERRY. We have an express elevator that connects delivery room, operating room, emergency room and it is approximately 20 yards from trauma room two, I would estimate, just around the comer, in an even corridor and al though I was not there as they took him up, I was in the operating room preparing and scrubbing, he was wheeled directly there to the express elevator and taken to the second floor where the operating suites are.
Mr. Specter.
Approximately how long does it take to get a patient from the trauma room up to the operating room?
Dr. PERRY. It depends on a lot of factors. One is if the elevator is there or not or if it happens to be in surgery or in the delivery room. But I have on occasion where it was necessary that you must go with all dispatch to the operating room, have done it in a matter of a few minutes.
They brought him right in the door, placed him on the elevator with a finger controlling the hemorrhage where you could take him directly to the operating room. I have done that in a matter, I am sure, of less than 3 or 4 minutes if I had to.
Mr. Specter.
Approximately how long did it take to get Oswald from trauma room two to the operating room?
Dr. PERRY. I don't know, I was told subsequently it was 12 minutes from the time we had him up. And----
Representative Boggs.
How long was it from the time he was shot until he reached the hospital?
Dr. PERRY. I have no knowledge of that, sir.
Representative Boggs.
Do you know?
Mr. Specter.
No; I don't know.
Mr. Dulles.
Was he conscious at any time so far as you know?
Dr. PERRY. No, sir; he did not say a word.
Mr. Dulles.
He was not conscious?
Dr. PERRY. No, sir; and even had he been, of course, once we had the endotracheal tube in he could not have spoken.
Mr. Specter.
Who was in charge of the operation performed on Mr. Oswald?
Dr. PERRY. Dr. Tom Shires.
Mr. Specter.
Who was in assistance with Dr. Shires?
Dr. PERRY. I first assisted Dr. Shires and then Ronald Jones and Dr. McClelland were also at the operation.
Mr. Specter.
Will you describe the operative procedures employed on Mr. Oswald please?
Dr. PERRY. Yes. From the nature of the trajectory of the wound and the nature of the path of the bullet on the other side it was obvious that it had traversed major vessels, the aorta and vena cava. The aorta and vena cava, the heart area, and then a midline incision was made. A rapid prep with iodine was done, the patient was draped. An incision was carried rapidly into the abdominal cavity at which time we noticed approximately 3 litres of free blood which is an excess of three quarts. This was removed by suction, lap packs and by just moving it out in the form of clots with the hands. It was noted there was considerable bleeding appearing in both the right upper and left upper quadrants of the body. There was a large hematoma retroperitoneally in the midline also, causing the bowels to be pushed forward rather strikingly.
We immediately dissected over the portal vein on the right since it was apparently injured, and placed a vascular occlusive clamp of the Sittinsky type in this area to control the bleeding. Noted an injury to the right kidney and to the lobe of the liver. We also noted there was an injury to the stomach, the pancreas, the spleen. At that point it became apparent that he had indeed struck major vessels, and appeared to be the aorta, so the left colon was reflected very rapidly in order to allow us to enter the space behind the intestines, the retroperitoneal space, and at that point I controlled the bleeding from the aorta by finger pressure below and above this area.
The bullet had knocked the superior mesenteric artery completely off the aorta exposing a large area.
After I had controlled the bleeding Dr. Shires was able to dissect around the
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