El Salvador

The 15 seriously burned children in the Burn Ward of Benjamin Bloom National Children's Hospital in San Salvador, El Salvador, were screaming, struggling, and crying. Accompanied by Drs. Bonilla and Zayas, Dr. Ildiko Tesak, who had arranged Dr. Saliba’s visit, turned to him and said,

“Dr. Saliba, do something!”

From his pocket Dr. Saliba withdrew a syringe filled with heparin solution. At a distance of 30 inches, he sprayed heparin onto the right upper extremity burns of an infant held by a nurse. In about a minute, the infant stopped struggling and crying.

Then, too young to say words, she moved her burned left hand and forearm into the stream of heparin. Realizing she was being helped, the infant remained motionless while Dr. Saliba repeatedly sprayed her burn surfaces and even rinsed several blisters with heparin.

He treated another child and then handed the syringe to Dr. Bonilla, who treated several more. Soon the Children's Burn Ward ambience was calm and quiet. Heparin was implemented as a treatment in El Salvador.Dr. Antonio Manual Bonilla Cornejas, MD. FACS. Attending Pediatric Plastic Surgeon, at Bloom Hospital. Trained in USA, at Harvard in Boston, and Shriner's Galveston Hospital.

“Children stop screaming, crying, and struggling when heparin is used."

With Heparin treatment:

"Water baths with removal of burned tissue are stopped.
Painful topical antibiotic sulfa creams are not usually necessary.
The nurses especially observe the benefits and appreciate the improved quiet calm of the burn ward, and the condition of the healed skin is better, smoother, with few if any scars, and fewer contractures.
The children and the parents are happier. The children eat well, sleep well, and are active.”

Dr. Antonio Manual Bonilla Cornejas, MD. FACS. Attending Pediatric Plastic Surgeon, at Bloom Hospital. Trained in the USA, at Harvard in Boston, and Shriner's Galveston Hospital.

In work with Research Director Dr. J Gustavo Zayas and 6 other MDs:

Started heparin topically and intravenously in 1999 in an average of 100 children/year.
Found heparin affordably relieved pain without narcotics, using less fluids and fewer surgical procedures, medicines, and days in Hospital with few or no scars or contractures in burns of all sizes.
Performed and published a study with Drs. JG Zayas of El Salvador, now in Canada , and MJ Saliba, La Jolla CA, showing adding heparin increased survival of children burned 40% or more body size from 0% to 60%, and lowered infections inside body (sepsis) by 60%.
Presented his experience and studies using heparin at 3rd Int’l. Heparin Effects in Burns Symposium in Las Vegas, NV, USA March 2000;
At 1st Pan-American Heparin in Burns Int’l Meeting in San Salvador, El Salvador June 2000 which he, Dr. Zayas, and Dr. Ildiko Tesak planned, supported and performed at 6th Int’l. Heparin Therapy in Burns Symposium within the 5th Asian Pacific Burn Congress in Shanghai, China in 2005, under auspices of ISBI.

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