70s Headache Patient Who Visited Emergency Room Alone... Died Sitting While Waiting for 7 Hours

Hospital "No response to calling mistaken for leaving"
Police request autopsy... investigating negligence 여부

A man in his 70s who visited the emergency room of a university hospital in Gangwon Province alone died after waiting for a long time to receive treatment. The police are investigating the exact cause of the accident and whether there was any hospital negligence.

According to the Gangwon Fire Headquarters on the 18th, Mr. A (74), who lives alone in Chuncheon, called 119 at 8:36 p.m. on the 13th, complaining of dizziness and headache. Mr. A was transported by the ambulance team dispatched after the report to the emergency room of a university hospital in Gangwon Province at 8:52 p.m. on the same day. At that time, 19 patients who had arrived earlier were waiting in the emergency room waiting area.

A man in his 70s who visited the emergency room of a university hospital in Gangwon Province alone died while waiting for a long time to receive treatment. The photo is not directly related. [Image source=Getty Images]

The medical staff examined Mr. A’s condition, classified him as a mild patient, and prioritized treating more severe patients. Accordingly, Mr. A sat in a chair in the waiting room and waited for his turn for treatment. However, about 7 hours after arriving at the emergency room, around 4 a.m. the next day, he was found in cardiac arrest.

At the time of discovery, Mr. A was sitting motionless in the waiting room. When the medical staff approached and checked his condition, they confirmed he was in cardiac arrest and immediately performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but Mr. A ultimately passed away.

Before discovering Mr. A in cardiac arrest, the medical staff reportedly called his name three times between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m., but there was no response. Previously, Mr. A had been hospitalized and treated in the thoracic surgery department of the same hospital from the 2nd and was discharged on the 13th.

The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Image source=Pixabay]

The hospital explained, "It is not uncommon for patients waiting in the emergency room to leave quietly, so we thought Mr. A had left the hospital," adding, "If he had been classified as a high-severity patient, even if he wanted to cancel treatment and go home, the emergency room would have contacted him. When Mr. A arrived at the emergency room, his consciousness was clear and vital signs were normal."

They also said, "If Mr. A had shown any abnormal signs, we would have taken immediate action, but since he appeared to be sitting in the waiting room like a guardian taking a short nap, we could not respond actively," adding, "Because there was no guardian, it seems it took time for the medical staff to assess Mr. A’s condition." The hospital also stated that they will review whether there were any shortcomings in the patient response process and prepare measures to prevent recurrence of similar situations.

The police are requesting an autopsy from the National Forensic Service to determine the exact cause of Mr. A’s death and are investigating the circumstances of the case, including whether there was any hospital negligence.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.