Teacher Goes in for Routine Shoulder Surgery, Wakes Up with Brain Injury: 'Something Went Wrong in the O.R. That Day'
Scott Munro suffered a brain injury, which his family says was caused by his oxygen levels going unchecked during a routine procedure
KGW News/Youtube
Vancouver teacher Scott Munro returns home after a traumatic brain injury.A beloved Vancouver teacher is finally returning home after he suffered a traumatic brain injuryduring a routine shoulder surgery, which his family believes was caused by unchecked oxygen levels.
Last September, Scott Munro went in for elective orthopedic outpatient surgery, according to a GoFundMe set up by his daughter Katherine.
“He did not wake up for days,” the GoFundMe says. “For reasons still unknown, during the surgery he suffered a loss of oxygen to his brain, and he was in the ICU for a month. He now has significant brain damage; the doctors called it a hypoxic-anoxic brain injury.”
As the Brain Injury Association of America explains, “hypoxic injury occurs when the brain is still able to receive some amount of oxygen, but does not get enough. An anoxic injury occurs when oxygen is cut off completely from the brain.”
The injury left Munro, who for nearly 30 years had been an educator with the Evergreen School District, in a coma, and he spent a month in the ICU, KGW-8 reports.
“I think it's important to share that we know something went wrong in the O.R. that day. Someone or some machine, maybe more than one person, maybe more than one machine, was not doing its job," his wife, Katrina, told KGW-8.
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She said that for four minutes during the surgery, his oxygen levels were not monitored.
He’s spent the past 8 months at rehab centers in Chicago and Omaha, relearning how to walk and talk, as the GoFundMe explains. He has also had to relearn basic tasks that will help him live independently.
“Dad has been much more consistent with using a strong voice and projecting! In physical therapy he’s continuing to work on assisted walking with the harness and treadmill, as well as standing up with assistance, and sitting up straight,” his daughter Katherine wrote in January.
“In occupational therapy they’re starting to focus more on movement of his left arm. He's getting better at self-care such as brushing his teeth, shaving, and putting lotion on with decreasing assistance.”
And Wednesday, he finally returned home, arriving to cheers from family and friends at the Portland International Airport.
“'Cause of all these people, more than anything else, family and friends, being able to see them in person, being able to see my dad,” Scott told KGW.
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The outlet reports that he will stay in an assisted living community while his home is outfitted to accommodate his needs.
“It's very emotional and it also feels right, it feels like we've kind of come full circle,” his wife, Katrina, told KGW-8. “And now we're finally back.”
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