Posted on 10/10/2014 1:53:13 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
This week, Thomas Eric Duncan became the first person who contracted Ebola abroad to die in the United States. Despite receiving care at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, Duncan’s condition was too advanced to save him even after he was administered an experimental antiviral drug. A new report published by the Associated Press, however, calls into question whether the hospital was justified when they released Duncan after his initial visit. That report suggests that the Ebola victim was heavily symptomatic on his first visit to the hospital, and that hospital staff ignored precaution that should have been taken when treating a potential Ebola carrier.
Duncan’s family recently released 1,400 pages of medical records to the AP, leading reporters to discover that Duncan had a fever which had spiked to 103 degrees while he was in hospital. Attending nurses, however, only gave him antibiotics, told to take Tylenol, and released him.
When he first showed up at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, the man complained of abdominal pain, dizziness, a headache and decreased urination. He reported severe pain — rating it an eight on a scale of 10. Doctors gave him CT scans to rule out appendicitis, stroke and numerous other serious ailments. Ultimately, he was prescribed antibiotics and told to take Tylenol, then returned to the apartment where he was staying with a Dallas woman and three other people.
After his condition worsened, someone in the apartment called 911, and paramedics took him back to the hospital on Sept. 28. That’s when he was admitted and swiftly put in isolation.
The documents also show that a nurse recorded early in Duncan’s first hospital visit that he recently came to the U.S. from Africa, though he denied having been in contact with anyone sick.
(Excerpt) Read more at hotair.com ...
If they had seriously entertained the diagnosis of Ebola he would NEVER have been discharged. Obviously somewhere the fact he was a potential case was missed . Otherwise it looks like they did a very thorough evaluation with lab X-ray CT etc. not uncommon at all to DC a patient with a fever. The problem is very common in epidemics, the index cases get missed because you can’t diagnosis what you don’t consider.
A couple principles we operate under in medicine are “ uncommon presentations of common disease are more common then common presentations of uncommon disease”, meaning you are more likely seeing an unusual example of a common problem. The other is “ if you hear hoofbeats don’t think of Zebras”. Unfortunately this guy was a freaking Unicorn, Case # 1 of Ebola in the USA.
Did you miss the part where they did lab and a CT on him?
Most of the time as an ER doc I don’t know a persons insurance status, and I don’t let it prevent me from doing what I think is needed.
They have been releasing elderly and Medicare patients they never used to as soon as Obamacare took effect. Obamacare gutted Medicare payments, and anyone who is elderly can tell you they have been a lot less likely to be admitted since then, instead of being admitted and watched.
So ordinarily I would say, no. However, the fact this man came from an area that is ripping with the new plague - I was aware of it, and many Freepers were aware of it, so surely an ER should have been aware that he had just come from such an area.
But he said he had not been around anyone infected. They took him at his word. The CDC keeps saying unless someone with the virus vomits or explodes on you, then you are not in danger of contracting the virus. He lied. Now he is dead.
Where are the names and faces of the individuals who made these decisions to treat and release him? And others as well - like the insurance lady at the window at the ER?
RE: Where are the names and faces of the individuals who made these decisions to treat and release him? And others as well - like the insurance lady at the window at the ER?
That will be revealed when the lawsuit starts.
Troh did not think Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital should have released Thomas Duncan from the emergency room on Sept. 26.
According to Lloyd, hospital staff told the family that they did not have the consent to treat Duncan for his initial fever.
“The family members were right there – how could you not have consent to treat him?” [Saymendy Lloyd, a friend of Louise] Troh asked.
She also said the staff made the decision to put Duncan on dialysis without the family’s consent, but delayed in giving him the experimental drug Brincidofivir because of lack of consent.
In a statement on Thursday, Texas Health Presbyterian officials said that doctors treated Duncan with Brincidofovir after consulting with experts, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration.
Did the hospital know this was “a time of ebola” in Dallas? It really wasn’t until this lying cheating monster brought it to town.
I saw one story that he had told a nurse he came from Liberia but she didn’t know that was in Africa. It sounds like some story made up from some people that like to depict Texans as stupid but I don’t know.
Then I saw a story that he did tell a nurse, but because of the software, the Doctor didn’t know he came from Liberia.
Do we even know if he told them?
Duncan lied to the Docs and denied coming into contact with any infectious disease recently, much less Ebola. He obviously did not understand the importance of getting early treatment to maximize his chance for survival.
I guess the ER docs were taking Obama and the CDC at their word when they assured the country that Ebola was no risk coming to the US.
Patients are sent home with fever all the time. Fever is, in itself, not a reason for hospitalization.
Note that, as stated in the article, “he denied having been in contact with anyone sick.”
He lied, he died.
He would likely have died even if he had been admitted on his first visit. Medical personnel used every tool they had to save his life, but the family is trying to pin it on the hospital.
They all need to be sent back to Liberia.
I am white and upper middle class and have been subject to incompetent medical care more than once. Stupid is as stupid does, no matter country of origin or color of skin
People get fevers!
Lieberia? “Liberia bans journalists from Ebola centers” confirming earlier rumors
What family?
Seriously. Troh and her extended entourage are not Duncan’s family. She was never married to him and hadn’t seen him in years (although was apparently going to marry him so he could have permanent residency).
His mother and brother were in another state. The illegitimate son he had with Troh 19 years ago was not in Dallas and hadn’t seen his bio dad in 16 years. I believe the mother and son showed up in Dallas shortly before Duncan died, but not in time to have any say in his treatment.
Just who was legally able to give consent other than Duncan himself?
I give it 20 years and most diagnoses (in hospital emergency wards) will be done by machines figuring it out from input given by clinicians observations and samples.
He lied about being with anybody who was sick.
I think he came here thinking he would be treated and survive...without giving a thought to what he was doing and exposing his own family.
The president of Liberia called what he did "despicable." I agree.
There were no relatives there to give consent. There is a sister in Mass. and a couple kids by various women he hasn’t seen since they were babies. First anyone heard of his mother and half brother in Arizona (?) was when Jesse showed up. Louise and her family are not relatives.
What, in his best fake Texas accent?
You apparently missed that there are 33 different languages spoken in the area that he was staying in...and none with a Texas accent.
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