IRunOnFaith - 2017-02-07 4:30 PM Oh how sad! Prayers for everyone involved...



I would for sure be headlining an investigation of the hospital/doctors/nurses who treated wrongly. A simple test would've told them if she was an OD patient or not. This is the hospital's fault in my opinion. I'd be getting legal help... This could've been prevented.... Sorry if my opinion is wrongful or if it is too soon to be pointing fingers. But I would be livid with the hospital who administered the Narcan.... 



 

stayceem - 2017-02-07 5:33 PM It is awful how quickly our first responders jump to OD but being someone who works with those first responders, I do understand why their brain goes there. Now, I don't know for sure based on your post if the first responders gave the narcan or the actual doctors. That might make a difference imo. How sad. Prayers for your friend, I cannot imagine.

run n rate - 2017-02-07 6:06 PM This is heartbreaking for all!!! When my mom had the aortic anurysim, she complained first of a massive headache, crippling, eyes glazed over type headache. Then after a few minutes she said her chest hurt, we though heart attack so I popped an aspirin in her mouth and we threw her in the truck and headed to hospital. She kept asking to go home and just let her go back to bed and rest, something unheard of for my mom to request. At the hospital the ER doctor ran an EKG, didn't find anything, said her blood pressure was slightly low (mom had taken high blood pressure medicine since meeting my dad I think, LOL) . My nephew was an EMT at the time, he and another family friend who was also an EMT kept telling my dad to have them check mom's aorta. ER doctor got pizzed off. Mom started complaining her belly hurt, they gave her a soppository and mom apologized for being a baby. Then the back pain hit and she was writhing in pain and still apologizing. Finally the ER doctor admitted her at 5 pm that night to the hospital, she'd been there since 9 am or so. Heart doctor came in and immediately ordered an MRI where they found the aorta ballooned and medivacced her to a bigger hospital. She miraculously made it thru the flight and two open heart surgies in a 20 hour period but they also beleive that lack of oxygen before and maybe during the surgery is what brought on the dementia symptoms. In hindsight I wish we had taken the time to call the ambulance in this case as typically aortic anurysim patients I guess don't often even make it to the hospital so EMT's are often more able to diagnose the issue from the symptoms. Sounds like a blood test would have helped prevent this loss.

jake16 - 2017-02-07 3:11 PM

My best friend of many years lost her sister this morning. Pattie had a stroke,at home.Her special needs son called 911.The squad took her to closest hospital and they thought she was an overdose patient. Her tongue was completly out of her mouth and he face on right side was obviously affected.Her Blood pressure was sky high.They treated her immediatly with three doses of narcan, the od meds to reverse od.After no responce they shipped her 40 minutes away to another hospital who diagnosed stroke,and sent her to major hospital in the city as time frame was now lost to treat properly.She lived four weeks and died this am after aspiration to the lungs went really bad really quick in a nursing home. Im sure hoping this isnt the norm for most ERs to treat patients as OD patients without further testing.Its sad to me that the drugs are taking the lives of innocent people now,which is the reason for me writing this.She was innocent,just 48 years old.I sure hope they get a grip on the drugs soon,a county next to me had 500 OD resulting in death last year.

cn1705 - 2017-02-07 6:32 PM

Was she unresponsive at first? Her right sided deficits may not have been seen then. If so, Narcan would have been appropriate (its quicker to give Narcan than wait for a blood test), but many other interventions are done at the same time. Getting her vitals, getting an EKG(rule out cardiac issues), obtaining labs, establishing an IV, getting a CT, medications to lower her blood pressure. IF the hospital only did Narcan…that would be messed up, but I can’t see that. EMS probably brought her to the nearest hospital to get stabilized, especially if the EMS crew is not paramedic level (not sure where your from but that’s not uncommon in smaller towns). If the ED saw either a hemorrhage or ischemic event happening via the CT best bet would be to send her to a stroke center hospital or if they are unsure at least sending her to a place that can do more diagnostics and that has a neuro ICU. Was she sent to 3 different hospitals? It kind of sounds that way…wonder what the rational was for that. Your right timing for strokes is SO important, but sometimes smaller hospitals need to send them out. It sounds really bad, but it pays to live close to hospital that has advanced capabilities. My mother retired way up north in WI where there is nothing. I always tell her she would be dead before EMS got to her, she’s a smartass and always says good….drives me nuts!! Back to the timing of strokes, if they don’t know her “last well known time” she would not have been a candidate for TPA which works on breaking down the clot if its an ischemic stroke. Sadly, her outcome may have been not any different. Overall, I hope that there wasn’t medical errors that affected her treatment, maybe some details are just missing. If its the case that the ED only did Narcan I would surely let them know because they definably rendered improper care! Regardless I am really very sorry that you guys are going through this. Sending many prayers!!!