Untreated Man In Emergency Room Dies Waiting for Treatment

Amy Rothschild

Contributor

0 CommentsPrint ArticleSubscribe

A 33-year-old man complaining of chest pains and pains going down his left arm, died outside Olive View-UCLA Medical Center Sunday. After waiting for medical treatment for more than three hours, the man walked out of the emergency room, collapsed on the pavement and died minutes later. Health official have cited the hospital for medical problems five times this year.

While the man's pulse, blood pressure and blood sugar levels tested, the medical records do not indicate that he was given an electrocardiogram, a test used to diagnose heart attacks. Medical records reviewed by The Los Angeles Times show that the hospital's nurse never wrote down basic details about the man's complaints, including the location of his chest pain or how bad it was. Those symptoms are important in determining how the hospital should respond.

The American College of Cardiology strongly advises hospitals to conduct an EKG within 10 minutes of a patient's arrival at an emergency department if he or she complains of chest pain or has other symptoms associated with a heart attack.

Before rushing to judgment, the coroner will conduct an inquiry to determine the exact cause of death and if in fact, it was heart-related.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Medical Malpractice and Negligent Care.