COVID-19 Patient dies after family unplugs ventilator and plugs in air Cooler Insteadd
By Jayanth
@jayanth_77 (7179)
India
June 20, 2020 6:44am CST
I read a news article where at a hospital a patient's relative connects a air cooler by removing the plug of another device connected to the power socket.
The patient was admited in the Covid isolation ward of a hospital in Kota, Rajasthan state of India. As it was very hot the patients relatives bought a cooler and unknowingly connected it to the same socket on which the ventilator was connected.
The patient died soon after the ventilator stopped working due to the power disconnection.
An enquiry has been ordered to find the cause of death .
According to you who is responsible for the death of the patient and why?
The ventilator, patient's relatives, the duty nurse ,the duty doctor or the medical superintendent of the hospital.
How can such death by negligence be avoided.
15 people like this
18 responses
@jayanth_77 (7179)
• India
20 Jun 20
Yes it's negligence on behalf of the hospital authorities. The relatives shouldn't have been allowed in the isolation ward.
2 people like this
@jayanth_77 (7179)
• India
20 Jun 20
yes the ventilator is a critical device and should not be so easily accessible to the patient's relatives. The patient relatives also should have asked for permission to connect the air cooler.
1 person likes this
@msdivkar (23356)
• India
21 Jun 20
@jayanth_77 I have seen some of the hospitals here. There is no access to any outsiders in those areas. Yes it is very irresponsible of patient's relative to meddle with the devices without knowing anything.
2 people like this
@banksim (5347)
•
22 Jun 20
not possible, because no relative is allowed in COVID area, secondly why any relative will be so ignorant to disconnect any plug, thirdly ventilator is given only to the serious patient and if he/ she is so serious he must be in ICU, where no one is allowed accept nurse or doctor
1 person likes this
@banksim (5347)
•
22 Jun 20
@jayanth_77 hospital licences will be sealed..if it happen
1 person likes this
@jayanth_77 (7179)
• India
22 Jun 20
This is not fake news. It has actually happened.
News link shared below
The patient was shifted to an isolation ward on June 15 as a safety measure after another patient in the ICU tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
1 person likes this
In the first place hospitals should not allow visitors, other than the doctors and nurses, to the covid patient.@Shauibee (610)
•
20 Jun 20
@jayanth_77 Hopefully, this will not happen again in any circumstances in the hospital setting. This could have been prevented.
1 person likes this
@jayanth_77 (7179)
• India
20 Jun 20
no it was not overload. But disconnection of ventilator to connect the air cooler in the same power socket.
1 person likes this
@jayanth_77 (7179)
• India
20 Jun 20
@Babale it's ok. But it's clear negligence by all hospital authorities and the patient relatives.
1 person likes this
@Babale (1874)
• Semarang, Indonesia
20 Jun 20
@jayanth_77 Oh yes, sorry for the mistake and thank you very much already corrected.
1 person likes this
@ptrikha_2 (49775)
• India
18 Jul 20
I believe that if this is true, the doctors and the medical staff on duty are the most responsible. Why leave a critical patient on ventilator alone, and with people who are not experts?
In the longer run, it is clear that Medical spend as a percentage of annual GDP, as well as the number of doctors and medical staff must increase.
1 person likes this
@ptrikha_2 (49775)
• India
19 Jul 20
@jayanth_77
Yes you are right. But looks like the hospitals are overloaded in these times.
1 person likes this
@jayanth_77 (7179)
• India
20 Jun 20
First of all the relatives shouldn't have been allowed to bring in air coolers . Then why wasn't there no cooling in the hospital ward.
1 person likes this
@Shavkat (141905)
• Philippines
21 Jun 20
@jayanth_77 That's what I am thinking, too.
1 person likes this
@jrlcentral (2605)
• Roxas, Philippines
21 Jun 20
In the first place, covid-19 patients should be isolated. No relatives should have been allowed to visit. That's supposed to be the protocol for highly-infectious diseases like covid-19.
1 person likes this
@jayanth_77 (7179)
• India
21 Jun 20
yes it's pure negligence . the patient relatives and the hospital authorities must be punished.
1 person likes this
@jayanth_77 (7179)
• India
21 Jun 20
The doctors were awaiting the COVID test results and the patient had underlying health issues. So ventilator was being used . The relatives shouldn't have been allowed in any case inside the ward .
1 person likes this
@nawala123 (20871)
• Indonesia
21 Jun 20
I am sorry to hear that news. People should be educated and the hospital should be more strict
1 person likes this
@jayanth_77 (7179)
• India
21 Jun 20
yes people need to be educated and hospitals need to be more strict.
@Butterfingers (66603)
• India
20 Jun 20
It could be a fake news because no relatives are allowed in the Covid-19 patient's room
1 person likes this
@jayanth_77 (7179)
• India
20 Jun 20
its not fake news .
The original new article from The Indian express dated 20/06/2020 shared below.
The patient was shifted to an isolation ward on June 15 as a safety measure after another patient in the ICU tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
1 person likes this
@jayanth_77 (7179)
• India
20 Jun 20
@Butterfingers that answer only the hospital authorities can give and it is under investigation.
1 person likes this
@Butterfingers (66603)
• India
20 Jun 20
@jayanth_77 ok but how can they allow relatives in
1 person likes this
@marguicha (230365)
• Chile
4 Jul 20
All are guilty in some degree and for different reasons. But there is no reason at all why a patient in a ventilator should be visited and much less without supervison.
@xstitcher (39093)
• Petaluma, California
20 Jun 20
Who on earth thinks of unplugging anything in a hospital room???
1 person likes this
@jayanth_77 (7179)
• India
20 Jun 20
yes. it's hospital authorities negligence . They should be punished for their negligence.
@thedevilinme (5215)
• Northampton, England
20 Jun 20
Why are so many Indians electrocuted though?
1 person likes this
