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Death after two-hour ER wait ruled homicide!

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  • Death after two-hour ER wait ruled homicide!

    Unreal!!!



    WAUKEGAN, Illinois (AP) -- A coroner's jury has declared the death of a heart attack victim who spent almost two hours in a hospital waiting room to be a homicide.

    Beatrice Vance, 49, died of a heart attack, but the jury at a coroner's inquest ruled Thursday that her death also was "a result of gross deviations from the standard of care that a reasonable person would have exercised in this situation."

    A spokeswoman for Vista Medical Center in Waukegan, where Vance died July 29, declined to comment on the ruling. (Jury's findings)

    Vance had waited almost two hours for a doctor to see her after complaining of classic heart attack symptoms -- nausea, shortness of breath and chest pains, Deputy Coroner Robert Barrett testified.

    She was seen by a triage nurse about 15 minutes after she arrived, and the nurse classified her condition as "semi-emergent," Barrett said. He said Vance's daughter twice asked nurses after that when her mother would see a doctor.

    When her name was finally called, a nurse found Vance slumped unconscious in a waiting room chair without a pulse. Barrett said. She was pronounced dead shortly afterward.

    Barrett said he subpoenaed records after finding discrepancies in the hospital's version of events.

    It wasn't immediately clear if the ruling would lead to criminal charges. Dan Shanes, a chief of felony review for the state attorney's office, said his division needed to review the case.

    Vista Medical Center spokeswoman Cheryl Maynen said the hospital, just north of Chicago, cooperated with the coroner's investigation and had also investigated the incident. She declined to comment on the homicide ruling.
    Diplomacy, it's a way of saying “nice doggie”, until you find a rock!

  • #2
    That place needs a visit from the JCAHO...triplequick

    JCHAO = Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations

    Besides the criminal liability, and you can bet you're a$$ there is some, the civil damages are going to be extreme.

    A$$h**les....
    Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 15 September 2006, 15:52.
    Dr. Mordrid
    ----------------------------
    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

    Comment


    • #3
      Triage nurses in emergency rooms are among the most critical positions in a hospital. I have been to see such people, and they are too often the type of people who would be fired from McDonalds for poor service. I had to wait 2 hours for an eye specialist once in an emergency room. After an hour and getting fed up with the unmotivated idiot bitch behind the counter, I had to call the front desk of the hospital and get the name of the resident on call myself.

      Comment


      • #4
        When I got kicked in the eye I had to wait 3 hours or so with a big cornea abrasion.

        Comment


        • #5
          I'm actually a little surprised in this particular case. There is a hospital less then a mile away from my house and I’ve been in the emergency room many times.
          My father had angioplasty done, pacemaker put in, pacemaker cables reconnected, etc. My sister have a problem with a rapid heart beat, yes, I’ve been there many times.
          And no matter how badly you’re hurt (if you’re talking and have a decent pulse) the first thing they do is registration.
          However, if you mention heart, heart attack or stroke symptoms, you’re going in and you’re hooked up to the monitors instantly.

          So I don’t think it was the hospital. It was a single individual mistake, a tragic on too.
          Diplomacy, it's a way of saying “nice doggie”, until you find a rock!

          Comment


          • #6
            They're still responsible, esp. the ER supervision & house officers.
            Dr. Mordrid
            ----------------------------
            An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

            I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

            Comment


            • #7
              I had an attack of severe arrhythmia, amounting to frequent cardiac arrests, while visiting in Nashua NH about 16 years ago. I consulted a Dr who immediately and personally escorted me to Nashua Memorial Hospital. I was hooked up to monitors within 30 seconds of arrival in the ER and a defib was wheeled in (fortunately not needed). The nearest cardiologist was in Manchester and he was called. I think he arrived within about 30 minutes. Within another 30 minutes, I had been prepped and was having cables shoved into the ticker and an external pacemaker fitted.

              The amazing thing was that the cardiologist had asked me whether I was insured. I was unsure of my situation for procedures in the USA. He then said, "OK, we'll get you on your feet first and out of the hospital, and we'll discuss money when you're better." I was in that hospital for 10 days of which 3 were in the ICU during the diagnostic phase before an internal pacemaker was fitted. BTW, I had asked what about returning home for whatever and was informed I had a less than a 50% chance of reaching home alive.

              I was impressed by the service offered in that little hospital, except for the food, which was awful!
              Brian (the devil incarnate)

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              • #8
                Our ER would take one look at an arrhythmia & the fur would fly; paperwork be damned .5 seconds after stabilization you'd have been in the Cardiac ICU with staff 3 deep hovering & our cath team on standby.

                We were staffed by the University of Michigan Medical Center, which means A#1 people who are very agressive & take losing patients as a personal insult. Nice to have on your side

                The food wasn't bad 'til the late 80's when we started getting airline food
                Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 16 September 2006, 15:02.
                Dr. Mordrid
                ----------------------------
                An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

                Comment


                • #9
                  Here in sweden where I live she would have been told to go and see her district nurse next day and don’t dare come back without a referral
                  If there's artificial intelligence, there's bound to be some artificial stupidity.

                  Jeremy Clarkson "806 brake horsepower..and that on that limp wrist faerie liquid the Americans call petrol, if you run it on the more explosive jungle juice we have in Europe you'd be getting 850 brake horsepower..."

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                  • #10
                    Ah yes, the wonders of socialized medicine. Basically if you're over 50 and have heart disease it's 'good luck buddy, hope you live 'til your heart cath in 2010'
                    Dr. Mordrid
                    ----------------------------
                    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Dr Mordrid
                      Ah yes, the wonders of socialized medicine. Basically if you're over 50 and have heart disease it's 'good luck buddy, hope you live 'til your heart cath in 2010'
                      hrm..... I should have pointed out that that problem is not general for the whole of sweden it is specifically for the region I live in.

                      And I certinly detest you draging in your political views, for your information, the reason of the healthcare in my county is so bad is because its run by the right wing aliance

                      Last time the right wing block was in charge here in sweden they made a royal mess of it!
                      They raised every imaginable tax...except taxes that only affected the 10% richest.
                      Pulled funding for everything (healthcare, schools etc etc), sold off as many state owned companies they could get away with, deregulated several markets (electrical for instance, causing situations where electric companies who reaped in billions but at the same time said that they couldent afford maintenance on the electric grids and widespread powerfailures every damn year) it is also funny how both time they where in power 76-81 and 91-94 they managed to raise the state debt something amazingly 150 billion and 800billion respectivly, sure the evil money throwing socialists also raised the debt with 350 billion during 9 years.

                      and now they'll probably will win the elections tonight and then they'll have 4 years to destroy the ekonomics

                      I'll stopp now before I'll go into ranting raging madness.....
                      If there's artificial intelligence, there's bound to be some artificial stupidity.

                      Jeremy Clarkson "806 brake horsepower..and that on that limp wrist faerie liquid the Americans call petrol, if you run it on the more explosive jungle juice we have in Europe you'd be getting 850 brake horsepower..."

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I have to say, there hasnt been one time where ive had to wait in an emergency room in my life time. apparently all the injuries ive had in the past have needed immediate care. go me.
                        www.lizziemorrison.com

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Try shattering your hip and being told by the triage nurse that they won't give pain meds because "too many drug addicts claim injury to get a quick fix for the night".

                          then for them to have 5 nurses attempt to pile ontop of you in an attempt to force you flat on the XRay table (3 hours after being admitted) when all your muscles have locked in place. (I had to nearly bite the one trying to hold my head down before they realised I wasn't going to comply with their morbid actions)

                          Then after said XRays were developed and looked at, being told that they can't see anything wrong. So sorry we can't administer any meds. (Polite way of saying I was only there with a fake injury and only wanted a fix for the night).

                          Then at ~6:30am (7 hours after being admitted) being woken by a surgical Doctor profusely appologizing for the delay, "They didn't tell us you were here til just a few minutes ago" and "we're taking you to surgery right now". I politely ask if there was ANYTHING they could give me for the pain, being told it's on the way, again we're so sorry for this...

                          Next afternoon the Doc came in to consult me, when he (basically) finished asked if I could see the Xray's. Sure I'll be right back.. 5 minutes later, with an uneducated eye for things of this type, COULD CLEARLY AND PLAINLY SEE THE FRACTURED FEMOR IN ALL XRAYS TAKEN!!!

                          I refused to pay the bill (this wasn't the only abuse while there) and for the next 10 years they held it against me on my credit report!

                          BTW those other abuses included costing me my job and my home while under their care!

                          I've still not recovered from it, physically or financially. Tho at this point in time the physical is a minor issue and has been for many years now (for the most part, just don't run or do heavy lifting, typical job requirement in my profession), but the financial impact is another matter all together.
                          "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." -- Dr. Seuss

                          "Always do good. It will gratify some and astonish the rest." ~Mark Twain

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                          • #14
                            Unbelievable!


                            .
                            Diplomacy, it's a way of saying “nice doggie”, until you find a rock!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Hyper-extended my knee while playing soccer in high school. Even after being brought into the hospital by way of ambulance I still had to wait two hours to get anything more than cursory examination and adequate care.

                              Was actually the first ER experience I'd had at a civilian hospital. Let's just say I was not impressed, though I will give the actual doctors/surgeons credit for the work they did fixing me up. Can hardly see the scarring and my knee is in pretty good shape save for the throbbing pain I get.

                              Which is altogether another experience to that of yours Greebe. That's rough.
                              “And, remember: there's no 'I' in 'irony'” ~ Merlin Mann

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