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The Coroner's Court today, 9 September, heard testimony from a medical officer at Queen Elizabeth Hospital's Emergency and Trauma Department on the "high-impact" injuries sustained by the late Zara Qairina Mahathir
Dr Janefer Voo, a trainee medical officer, explained that "high-impact" refers to trauma caused by strong kinetic energy, meaning the injuries resulted from a powerful force or sudden motion, such as a serious fall or accident.
"It means the injury mechanism involves strong or rapid kinetic force, or a strong impact," Dr Voo explained when asked by coordinating officer Datuk Badiuszaman Ahmad.
"For example, in trauma cases, high-impact trauma could be from fatal accidents or from being thrown a long distance. Falls from high areas also involve a strong impact."
The doctor said Zara Qairina was unconscious when she arrived at the hospital at 4.38am on 16 July, as assessed using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS).
"For this patient, the GCS was three — the lowest score — meaning no spontaneous eye opening, no verbal response, and no motor movement," Dr Voo said.
She also outlined the resuscitation measures taken under trauma life support protocols
- Securing the airway by inserting a breathing tube due to the low GCS.
- Applying a cervical collar to protect the neck.
- Providing assisted breathing with a ventilator, fluids, and blood products as her blood pressure dropped and heart rate increased.
- Treating external injuries: stitching and bandaging the head wound, and splinting the left wrist, right leg, and left leg due to suspected fractures.
Dr Voo was shown photos of Zara Qairina to confirm the patient she treated, but said the images were unclear.
She added that details of Zara Qairina's discovery on the dormitory's ground floor came from the ambulance team that transported her.
"During reception by the ambulance team, the patient's condition was unknown to us," Dr Voo said, as reported by Harian Metro.
The testimony is part of the ongoing inquest into the circumstances surrounding the Form One student's injuries and subsequent death.
