Woman Dies in ER Lobby

Published on June 13, 2007 By JillUser In Current Events

I'm actually surprised this hasn't happened sooner judging by the kind of attention people are given in ERs. This poor woman went to the ER at a California hospital, was writhing on the floor in agony, vomitting blood, and got totally ignored. Her boyfriend and other people waiting in the ER got so desparate for help they called 911 from the ER. They were told it was not an emergency and to talk to the people there at the hospital.

I bet that hospital is in for some major law suits. I hate to say it, but it immediately made me think of a MadTV skit where a guy came into the ER after being shot in the head and was ignored. He was bleeding all over screaming "Shot in the head!" and was told to fill out paperwork. He replied something like "Gee, I seem to have trouble remembering my name. Maybe it's because I was....SHOT IN THE HEAD!!"

I thought my life would end that way and later found out it certainly could have. I was having gall bladder attacks and thought I would die (or wanted to). I was made to wait hours until I finally said they needed to just put me out of my misery. Did they then look at me? No. They shot me up with morphine and laid me on a bed to wait some more. I finally saw a doctor who looked at me for about two minutes and told me I was just constipated and to go home and take an enema.

The next day I started having another attack and went to a doctor I knew. I was sent for an ultrasound and then was told I needed emergency surgery because I had a stone ready to shoot out and rip up my internal organs at any time. Heck, that could be what happened to this woman.

It sickens me. I am so dissappointed with service in general these days. It seems like no matter where you go, it is unusual for people to do anything more than the bare minimum they can get away with. All it would have taken was for one nurse to think "better be safe than sorry" and get that woman looked at. She may still have died but at least they would have been trying. That's what's so sad.

Comments (Page 1)

Gideon MacLeish

on Jun 13, 2007

When Quinn was born, we skipped the ER at UMC in Vegas and went straight to OB. My wife was in labor, which we found out later was keyed off by dehydration. We sat there for over three hours without her even being looked at, and when I asked for water or ice chips or something for her, they absolutely refused, saying they couldn't give her anything until she was admitted.

One of the reasons I oppose socialized medicine is because we already HAVE it in our ER's and our county hospitals. And it sucks something fierce. When a hospital can ignore a needy patient then somewhere along the line, the Hippocratic Oath has been forgotten. Fortunately for us, as for you, it turned out ok, but it easily could have been MUCH different.

jennifer1

on Jun 13, 2007

He was bleeding all over screaming "Shot in the head!" and was told to fill out paperwork. He replied something like "Gee, I seem to have trouble remembering my name. Maybe it's because I was....SHOT IN THE HEAD!!"

This attitude seems to be the norm these days in hospitals and ER's.

They deserve what is coming to them now with the lawsuits (and possible charges?)- and so they should be made to pay. Any nurse or doctor that blatantly ignores a person writhing in agony and coughing up blood should not be in their chosen profession. The detached coldness of Mengele comes to mind.

Dr Guy

on Jun 13, 2007

I only read the Fox report of it, but there take was the ER could not help her. Still, why did they not call for an ambulance to move her to a hospital that could?

As for ERs, I think we all have horror stories on them. And that is sad.

just john

on Jun 13, 2007

Well... I can't say that it's that bad everywhere. We have (locally) two major hospital chains in addition to LSU hospital. My wife and I were in a severe car accident a few years ago. She was taken by ambulance to the lesser of the two. I waited in the lobby for an hour. I was driven to the other brand of hospitals and I was seen, treated and home before my wife walked out the door of the other hospital.

Since then I have been a faithful patient. I had a kidney stone last week and had to wait the longest I have ever had to wait to be brought back. (it was shift change)

If I went to LSU (charity hospital) it would have been anywhere from several hours to a day or more for something minor like a kidney stone.

JillUser

on Jun 13, 2007

I asked for water or ice chips or something for her, they absolutely refused, saying they couldn't give her anything until she was admitted.

See, they are so concerned about covering their own asses they have completely given up on caring for people. What on earth harm could be done by giving her ice?! Unbelievable! I can relate though. I broke my leg and they wouldn't give me so much as an aspirin until after the hour or two it took to "admit" me. Then I got to sit in a hall for a couple hours in pain.

there take was the ER could not help her

So they left her to die in agony on the floor of their lobby? Uh, I don't think so. Common sense would dictate that if they determined they didn't have the facilities to help they would make her as comfortable as possible and rush her to a facility that can. They probably just figured she wasn't their problem because they didn't have the right equipment for whatever tests it appeared she needed so they discharged her and washed their hands of it....dispicable! It's just wrong.

Shovelheat

on Jun 13, 2007

Sounds like a bad case of "deliberate indifference" Link. One has to watch out for that kind of thing.

Locamama

on Jun 13, 2007

I had read that when they asked the police for assistance they were trying to arrest her for having an outstanding warrant instead of helping her. This is a typical SNAFU that had many responsible parties, the 911 operator, the ER staff, the police. It is horrible. The only thing we can hope is that they learn from this and change their protocols to prevent something like this from happening again. Of course, it's too late for the woman who died. It's a shame.

So do you think universal help care would make things better or worse?

MasonM

on Jun 13, 2007

Maybe she owed for a past medical bill?

Moderateman

on Jun 13, 2007

This is awful, but on the other side, when Colleen rushed me to the Hospital {E.R.} the had me in, in seconds and upstairs in less than an hour {ICU}

MasonM

on Jun 13, 2007

This is awful, but on the other side, when Colleen rushed me to the Hospital {E.R.} the had me in, in seconds and upstairs in less than an hour {ICU}

Yeah but yer a Jew, they knew you'd sue if they didn't.

Abe Cubbage

on Jun 14, 2007

I think that these days just about everyone has a personal horror story, or knows someone with a horror story about our health care system. To anyone who isn't completely blinded by political rhetoric it's obvious that our health care system is in serious need of some TLC.

NErG

on Jun 14, 2007

See, they are so concerned about covering their own asses they have completely given up on caring for people. What on earth harm could be done by giving her ice?! Unbelievable!

I broke my leg and they wouldn't give me so much as an aspirin until after the hour or two it took to "admit" me.

They deserve what is coming to them now with the lawsuits (and possible charges?)- and so they should be made to pay.

The bold is exactly why they won't give ice, aspirin, or anything else until the patient has been admitted. Unfortunately, they are "so concerned about covering their own asses" because they have to be.

It is twofold really, if the patient's situation worsens because of something inappropriately administered by the hospital, not only will they be harder to treat and/or possibly be killed, but the hospital has made itself liable. They do nothing, because to do anything before having full knowledge of the situation places not only the patient, but the hospital at risk as well.

When a hospital can ignore a needy patient then somewhere along the line, the Hippocratic Oath has been forgotten.

Any nurse or doctor that blatantly ignores a person writhing in agony and coughing up blood should not be in their chosen profession.

I don't suppose you guys have worked in an ER? I haven't either, but I am just about to finish my coursework and become a registered and active EMT. Part of the work has included ride-alongs with EMS, and volunteer work at the UW Medical Center ER. The ER is not sitting there waiting patiently, empty beds and idle doctors just raring to go at the newest patient brought in. Rather, the beds are full, the docs are working, the nurses are working, and unfortunately, they cannot get to everyone right away. It is just not possible. No doc is sitting in the back room, sipping tea and eating crumpets. You are so quick to jump on this womans death...suppose she was treated immediately, meaning someone else was displaced, and died in her stead?

How can you complain about your wife being forced to wait while in labor, or having no aspirin while waiting with a broken leg, in the same space as vilifying the hospital for letting a woman die in the waiting room? Someone will always have to wait. If they took the woman, and your wife birthed your child in the waiting room, would you be upset? If the infant died from complications stemming from the birth, would you sue the hospital, because her spot was taken by a woman needing emergency surgery? If your broken leg had resulted in deep tissue bleeding, leading to a heart attack because you weren't treated fast enough, and encouraged by the aspirin you mention not receiving, would you still complain about the dead woman?

Doctors aren't supermen, hospitals aren't perfect, nurses are humans like everyone else. People cannot be treated instantly. This "doctors are out to get us, doctors don't care, boo on them they have forgotten the Hippo" rhetoric is disgusting.

Please note I am not trying to target anyone specifically, regardless of who I quoted. I value ALL opinions, even if I state disagreement.

Chaos Manager

on Jun 14, 2007

As an individual with a moderate amount of training in first aid, emergency response, etc, ad nauseum, I'm aware of triage, and what it consists of. Additionally, I've got several good friends that are nurses in local ER. One of them is even the charge nurse for her shift. Seeing something like this happen (and I was actually watching the evening news when it aired) just scares me. If a person is bleeding out in the lobby, SOMEONE is responding to it. Even if it's just the triage nurse making sure that the bleeding isn't continuing (someone presents w/ a bloody bandage) or an EMT, nurse or doctor is actively attempted to stem the bleeding (if someone wanders in actively bleeding). If the ER is overworked to the point that the staff cannot see to it, then any one of the EMT's that cycle through there could've done SOMETHING.

So, yes, the hospital is liable for gross negligence. I can understand the CYA attitude that a lot of hospitals are taking up. In today's litigious society, it's a survival trait. That doesn't excuse the complete disregard for human life that was displayed in this ER. Illegal or not, outstanding warrant or not, other factors or not, there is no excuse for even THINKING about ignoring someone who's bleeding out in your ER waiting room.

During the segment I watched on TV, they replayed parts of the 911 call where the 911 operator repeatedly referred the caller to the hospital staff. The first time the operator said this, great! Wonderful! It was the appropriate response. After the initial caller (and a subsequent caller) informed the operator that the hospital staff was nonresponsive, I wonder what the 911 operator should've done in that situation. Was there someone she (and he on the second call) could've contacted to facilitate the process? Even if it was contacting one of the EMT services that routinely brought patients into that same ER and got THEM to look into it.

I'm sure that many changes (and not all for the better) will come out of this. But the one thing that we need to remember - a woman lost her life due to a complete disregard by the very people that should've made an ATTEMPT to save it. Even if there was no hope of saving her, no attempt at all was made. THAT is something that I find morally, ethically and criminally inexcusable.

Gideon MacLeish

on Jun 14, 2007

Well, since what brought on my wife's premature labor was dehydration, they potentially faced a MUCH larger suit had my wife or son died because of their failure to treat them. Not only did they NOT cover their asses, they endangered TWO lives by their negligence.

Gideon MacLeish

on Jun 14, 2007

How can you complain about your wife being forced to wait while in labor,

Because it wasn't just us. And it was THREE HOURS.

Do you know anything about labor, curious? Are you aware that a woman carrying her fifth child can go through labor in an insanely short period of time? Much less than three hours? Considering we had to drive into town an HOUR and that our midwife had called ahead, the treatment was inexcusable, plain and simple. And has we been the only ones, we might have seen the oversight as less of a problem.

Contrary to popular belief, giving a woman ice chips is not likely to cause complications in pregnancy.

What we found when my wife WAS finally admitted was a staff that was consistently rude and uncaring. I realize that doctors and nurses are stressed, but if they can't maintain a decent bedside manner, maybe they chose the wrong field.

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!