Posted on 12/26/2005 4:48:10 PM PST by Iris7
Wellington Hospital junior doctors told a dying Napier student to walk home to the Newtown flat where her body was found a day later, an inquest has found.
Cassandra (Cassie) Ann Laurent, 19, was found dead by flatmates at her Newtown home on July 25, 2003.
Wellington coroner Garry Evans found the talented graphic art student died of pneumonia after a series of oversights by unsupervised junior doctors.
Cassie had been discharged from Wellington Hospital's emergency department three times in the six days leading up to her death. Each time, she showed worsening flu-like symptoms and stiffness in her limbs and neck.
On her first visit to the emergency department, a chest X-ray revealed lung abnormalities pointing to pneumonia. But the film was not read by a radiographer until the day Cassie died and a report was not made available to emergency staff until four days after.
Wellington coroner Garry Evans found that all four doctors who examined Cassie were juniors, not one of whom sought a reading of the X-ray or an opinion from senior staff.
The court heard that the first doctor to examine the young woman considered a diagnosis of pneumonia but did not prescribe any antibiotics for it because the X-ray "looked normal" to her.
The inquest was told that even if Cassie had been prescribed antibiotics on her third visit, on July 23, there was a very good chance she would have survived anyway.
Instead, she was kept overnight before deciding she felt better and was left to walk home after being discharged by another junior doctor.
(snip)
For educational and fair use only.
(Excerpt) Read more at hbtoday.co.nz ...
In the U.S. emergency rooms are all too often staffed by the newest doctors who work too long hours;I expect we already have similar cases of patient neglect. The AMA some time ago estimated thousands die every year from doctors' mistakes.
---Instead, she was kept overnight before deciding she felt better and was left to walk home after being discharged by another junior doctor.---
With pneumonia, you often feel better in the morning, when the fever subsides somewhat.
I've had pneumonia twice. The first time was in the Army, and they came very close to fumbling my life away then. It was on the third clinic visit that a doctor finally decided to have an x-ray made. It was an afterthought, while he was finishing up my record. When he saw the x-ray he turned very pale and immediately called an ambulance. For me, that is... :^)
You bet we have similiar cases-my wife's coworker's grandson was misdiagnosed with the flu last month.the poor kid had pneumonia,went back 24 hrs later to the ER again and got life flighted to Akron Children's hospital in critical condition.They were able to successfully treat him,10 days before he got released.
This happens here with unsocialized medicine. Incompetent doctors do not reside only in the "junior" status.
---What kind of doctor can't diagnose pneumonia? ---
The usual kind.
I had one doctor actually prescribe a lanolin moisturizing ointment for my athletes foot. I felt so badly for him that I didn't say anything, just went out and bought some Tinactin.
Common things just slide under the radar a lot of times.
There is no problem that a liberal can't fix with a law. Just make a law and FORCE doctors to spend time in the ER.
Socialized medicine took her life away from her for the common good.
I agree. This was insane.
Isn't it lovely.
True....and like everything else, "Its' for the chil'ren."
besides...things like "Law(s) and/or Ethics"; the "Elite" (like Hillary) mustn't be bothered with.
A little title drama? A 19 year old girl?
Dear me. The Donks want another post office they can populate with their discards.
A friend of mine, who lives in England married a man there. He had a niece, a woman with four children. She died of pnemonia on her sofa surrounded by her family, after several futile attempts for treatment at the local clinic. There may be things wrong with American medicine, but no mother of four, or college student die at home for lack of treatment. These women would have been treated initially, and if ever brought in very ill with a fulminating pnemonia, would have been in ICUs with IV antibiotics and the best care possible.
[Recomendation:] All emergency department X-rays to be read within a day."
Gee, ya think?
My daughter got EXCELLENT emergency room care at Bayonne Hospital today. She got a CAT san, and THEY READ IT RIGHT AWAY! The ER doc even apologized to me for the wait, he said he was waiting for the radiologist to review the CAT scan. And today was the Christmas holiday day.
My kid was in pretty bad shape, severe abdominal pain. We though she had appendicitis, but it turned out to be just a really, really, really bad UTI, with Kidney involvment. She got an IV antibiotic drip and everything. Hubby asked the doc, what would you do if it had been appendicitis, would you have admitted her? And the doctor said, we would have admitted her and had her in surgery removing her appendix.
In whatever sad country this article discusses, it seems they can't even PRESRIBE DRUGS FOR YOU WHEN YOU HAVE A FATAL INFECTION!
Great job! May the Americans stand tough on this socialized medicine crap, because it costs lives. Our system may cost money, but let's face it, that's cheaper.
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