2023-07-10 12:26:59
Christos Lianos, 20, began experiencing severe abdominal pain and a high fever last month. He had been feeling unwell for a few days, but his condition worsened on the night of June 14.
He then called his parents, residents of Kingston, who urged him to go to the hospital as soon as possible, fearing appendicitis.
Over the next 15 hours at the hospital, which is part of the McGill University Health Center (MUHC), nurses checked him twice to assess his symptoms and gave him Tylenol every six hours to relieve the pain. pain, according to the family.
His mother, Niki Lianos, then says she lost patience and yelled at the nurse, saying if she had known they would be waiting this long, they would have gone back to Kingston to get her son treated.
The nurse then told her to take her there. After a three-hour drive to the Royal Victoria Hospital, the family learned that Christos’ appendix had ruptured.
“If I had gone home or stayed in that waiting room for whatever time, what could have happened to me? »
— A quote from Christos Lianos
Mr. Lianos remained in the hospital for about ten days, mostly in the intensive care unit.
Christos Lianos is recovering, but his mother wants to warn people about waiting times in Montreal hospitals.
Photo: Courtesy of Niki Lianos
We took the risk and it’s the biggest risk we’ve ever taken in our life because [son appendice] could have broken on the road, says Niki Lianos. What would we have done then?
She now wants to warn people about waiting times in Montreal hospitals and the danger these can represent.
Many clinics are closed or have reduced hours during the summer, says Dr. Judy Morris, president of the Association of Emergency Physicians of Quebec (AMUQ). As a result, many more people go to the emergency room to receive care and then leave without having been examined.
These patients can be ticking time bombs because they leave when they might have something serious, she says.
Hospital was overwhelmed, MUHC says
The emergency department at the Glen site was fully staffed on the evening of June 14, however, according to MUHC spokesperson Rebecca Burns.
Two doctors were working on the night of June 14-15, she said in an email, and three doctors were working the next day, along with a medical coordinator, which is normal staffing.
However, by June 14, the emergency department had reached 197% capacity, and more than 30 patients from the day before had not yet been seen.
These patients were given priority or had been there longer, the spokeswoman said. The following day, the emergency department’s occupancy rate hovered around 200%, peaking at 225%.
The situation did not improve until the following night, Ms Burns said. It is difficult to provide optimal care in such circumstances, even when working at peak efficiency.
A patient will receive a call from the emergency department if they leave the scene without seeing a doctor first, she said.
This is not a call to be seen by a doctor, but a protocol to ensure that the patient has been able to receive care or, if necessary, be referred to a clinic.
Nearly one in eight patients left the center without being seen during this particular period.
We have an average of 130 visits per day. As a result, our nurses call back an average of 17 patients a day, says Burns.
We call three times if the patient is not reached immediately, then we send a letter if the nurse feels the patient needs to follow up on a blood or x-ray result.
With information from Sara Eldabaa
1688998862
#hours #waiting #emergency #room #Montreal #family #leaves #treatment #son #Ontario