Patient cardiac arrest after waiting over an hour in hospital corridor
Posted: March 19, 2015
Posted in: Medical Negligence
A patient suffered a cardiac arrest after waiting over an hour and a half in a hospital corridor. The hospital was experiencing a time of “extreme pressure” and patients waiting to be seen were asked to wait in the corridors. The patient, who remains anonymous, had been waiting to be seen in the accident and emergency department at Hereford County Hospital when he/she suffered the cardiac arrest.
A spokesperson from the Wye Valley NHS Trust said that the hospital was struggling to cope with the pressure of incoming patients as beds were closed due to a vomiting and diarrhoea outbreak in inpatient wards. They declared this an “internal incident” and were forced to postpone a great degree of non-emergency surgery as a result of the increased pressure.
“serious incident requiring investigation”
The patient who suffered the cardiac arrest survived but required emergency treatment as their health quickly deteriorated. They were nursed in the reception corridor of the A&E department but a sudden worsening of their condition called for them to undergo emergency treatment.
Managers of the trust said that they had spoken with the family of the patient, with one manager stating: “The issue has been classified as a serious incident requiring investigation.”
They added: “These reviews are not uncommon, but routine in nature as they are carried out whenever the trust needs to understand if the treatment provided could have been improved.”
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