Quote:
Originally Posted by Trish Crocker
We just took my 98 year old mother in law there. Her doctor called ahead so they would be ready for us. She was having shortness of breath and pain in her arm. We got there at 3, got an xray at 4 (NO EKG or exam of any kind) at 5 they drew blood...all of this time she was sitting in the waiting room. At 8 they finally took her into an exam room and at 10 she was admitted. When I asked why they were letting a possible heart attack patient wait they said 'we're busy ma'am'. The next afternoon she was examined by a cardiologist who determined that a cath was necessary and ended up putting in a stent (she desperately needs two but because of the condition of her arteries only one could safely be placed, actually when they started the procedure she coded but they were able to bring her back. She is still in the ICU, hopefully they will be putting her into a regular room soon. By the way, the entire time she was there from Friday afternoon until Sunday morning they wouldn't even allow her to have ice chips. My husband had to insist that she at least be allowed to have a couple and the nurse said "You can give them to her, I won't". The nursing staff I have met through this experience and my time volunteering on one of the floors is the most unfriendly, miserable nurses I have ever met. This hospital has me seriously thinking of moving back to Michigan.
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Please, please, please tell me they at least did a chest X-ray looking for congestive heart failure and NOT an X-ray of her arm because it hurt. Because that would be the icing on the cake. ERs are ALWAYS busy, it is no excuse for the scenario you described----it's called TRIAGE, and from your description of your mother-in-law's condition, she should have had an EKG, CXR, routine lab and cardiac enzymes all done within 20 minutes of arrival. At her age she really isn't a candidate for thrombolytic therapy, but they need to know what they are dealing with. Obviously she was in good enough baseline condition for a cath and stent.
But before you pack your bags, there are other hospitals and other nurses, but only one TV.