Doctor's Account: JFK's Final Moments and Efforts to Save Him

Arrival at Parkland Memorial Hospital

• 🚨 A policeman stopped Dr. Don Curtis as he was leaving his office, asking if he was a doctor and then pulling him into the emergency room.
• 🏥 Inside the trauma room, Dr. Curtis found President Kennedy on a gurney, along with Dr. James Carrico and a nurse, as Governor Connally had arrived earlier and required the attention of most of the ER staff.

Medical Interventions for JFK

• 💨 Dr. Carico had just placed an endotracheal tube, and Dr. Curtis assisted by holding it so the Bird machine (a respiratory assistance device) could be connected.
• ⚠️ The Bird machine was operating at an extremely high rate (100-125 breaths per minute), leading to questions about whether the machine was malfunctioning or the tube was blocked, as a proper airway was not established.
• 🔪 Dr. Malcolm Perry, a senior medical staff member, then performed a tracheostomy.
• 💧 Dr. Curtis was asked to perform a cut down on the left leg to establish an IV line for fluid resuscitation, crucial for patients with low blood volume.

Pronouncement of Death and Wound Description

• ❤️ After the tracheostomy, it was noted that the President's heart had stopped, and external cardiac massage was being performed.
• 💀 The chief of neurosurgery, Kemp Clark, eventually stopped the resuscitation, stating the wound was not compatible with life.
• 🔍 Dr. Clark individually described the fatal wound to several chiefs of surgical services: a 3-4 inch hole in the posterior cranium and a bullet hole in the right temple, explaining how the bullet caused massive cranial pressure and blew out the back of the skull.

Observations After Pronouncement

• 😔 Dr. Curtis remained in the room due to Mrs. Kennedy's presence and observed the profound silence and shock among the medical staff.
• 👤 In an adjacent X-ray waiting room, Lyndon Johnson was seen taking charge, directing people to make phone calls and appearing fearless, which Dr. Curtis found notable given the uncertain political climate.
• 🤐 Dr. Curtis and Dr. Carico, along with other residents and interns, maintained silence about the events, never discussing them with each other afterward.