'Recovery After Cardiac Arrest' 30s in Cheongju Rejected by 22 Hospitals... Eventually Transferred to Suwon

In Cheongju, Chungbuk, a man in his 30s who was in cardiac arrest and revived through cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was refused transfer by 22 hospitals before being moved to a hospital in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, for treatment after three and a half hours. On the 8th, Yonhap News reported the story of Mr. A, a man in his 30s who was suddenly struck by cardiac arrest and revived through CPR.

A man in his 30s in Cheongju, Chungbuk, who fell into cardiac arrest and was revived through cardiopulmonary resuscitation, was refused transfer by 22 hospitals before being moved to a hospital in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, for treatment after three and a half hours. Asia Economy

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At 2:13 a.m. the previous day, the fire department received a 119 emergency call from a commercial building in Ochang-eup, Cheongju, reporting that "my girlfriend is not breathing." When paramedics arrived at the scene, patient Mr. A had just regained breathing after receiving CPR from his boyfriend, Mr. B, who was with him. It is known that Mr. A suddenly went into cardiac arrest while drinking with Mr. B at his own store. It is currently presumed that a medication he was taking for a pre-existing condition caused side effects. The paramedics classified him as a critical patient due to concerns about brain damage.

Subsequently, inquiries were made to 22 hospitals in the Chungcheong region and the metropolitan area, including Chungbuk National University Hospital, the only tertiary hospital in Chungbuk, about the possibility of transfer. However, many hospitals refused the transfer, citing reasons such as the absence of relevant medical departments and lack of specialized equipment. Ultimately, Mr. A was transferred to a general hospital in Suwon, about 100 km away, at 5:46 a.m., approximately three and a half hours after the initial report, and received treatment. A fire department official said, "Mr. A was in a critical condition, regaining consciousness only shortly before arriving at the hospital, and even after waking up, he was unable to communicate normally," adding, "Due to the delay in transfer, it is expected that the patient may suffer aftereffects such as paralysis."

Meanwhile, during the past five years, there have been 37,218 cases of so-called 'emergency room spinning'?where patients are repeatedly transferred by paramedics?and the most common reason for patient refusal was 'lack of specialists,' accounting for as much as one-third of cases. Around 2023, Rep. Choi Hye-young of the Health and Welfare Committee in the National Assembly (Democratic Party) disclosed data submitted by the National Fire Agency. According to the data, from 2018 to 2022, there were 31,673 first transfers and 5,545 second transfers by 119 paramedics over the past five years. The reason for re-transfer due to the absence of specialists accounted for 11,684 cases (31.4%), with 10,498 cases in the first transfer and 1,186 cases in the second transfer. The next most common reason was refusal due to lack of beds, totaling 5,730 cases (15.4%), including 3,698 cases (9.9%) in emergency room beds, 1,128 cases (3%) in inpatient beds, 870 cases (2.3%) in intensive care unit beds, and 34 cases (0.1%) in operating room beds. Other reasons included patient or guardian change of mind leading to transfer to another hospital (1,722 cases, 4.6%), re-transfer after initial emergency treatment (895 cases, 2.4%), medical equipment failure (605 cases, 1.6%), and intoxicated patients (460 cases, 1.2%).

Regionally, the metropolitan area had the highest number of emergency room spinning cases over the past five years. The Gyeonggi region, which includes Yongin?where a patient in his 70s was refused by 11 hospitals and died?was the worst affected. Gyeonggi recorded 8,769 first transfers (27.7%) and 1,087 second transfers (19.6%), totaling 9,856 cases (26.5%). Seoul followed with 5,685 cases (15.3%), then Busan with 2,632 cases (7.1%), Chungnam with 2,414 cases (6.5%), and Gangwon with 2,605 cases (6.2%). In terms of transfer rounds, Chungnam had the highest number of second transfers with 971 cases, accounting for 17.5% of the nationwide second transfers (5,545 cases).

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