10/22/2020 4:39 AM
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 10/22/2020 8:11 AM
Two patients died on guard duty at a Neuquén hospital, where they were staying due to the lack of beds due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The situation shows the
alarming state of the health system
.
But even more dramatic is the audio that was leaked in the last hours, in which a doctor explains to the daughter of one of those people that her mother "is not a candidate to be intubated."
"If she goes into respiratory arrest, she will
not be revived"
, is another of the crude phrases of the health assistant.
The two people who
died on
Tuesday
in the
Castro Rendón
hospital guard
suffered terminal illnesses and had also been infected with Covid-19.
Given the lack of beds in the province, they were housed in the guard of that medical center, equipped to receive patients in the middle of an overwhelmed system.
"With the little mask that we put on her face is not enough," the doctor warns the daughter of one of the deceased women, who suffered from terminal cancer.
In the conversation, published by
La Mañana de Neuquén
, the worker explains that her mother is being given "comfort": "We are putting oxygen and
a little morphine
on her so that she does not feel short of breath."
"Because she's not a candidate for plugging her into a respirator, she's not a candidate for intubating her, okay?"
Do you already know that?
The doctor asks him.
"No, they hadn't told me anything about that," she answers, surprised.
-Yes.
Say, if she gets tired, we're not going to plug her into a respirator or anything like that.
Omar Gutiérrez, governor of Neuquén.
The province is on the brink of collapse from the coronavirus pandemic.
Photo Twitter Omar Gutiérrez
"Breathing a device for her
is not feasible,"
remarks the health assistant, on the other side of the phone line.
The daughter asks if they have already found a bed to admit her mother.
But the answer is hopeless: "There is not yet. In the meantime we will keep it on our guard."
And the doctor reiterates the seriousness of the situation: "But just so you know: if she goes into respiratory arrest, she's
not going to revive, right?"
The audio was broadcast on social networks and messaging applications in the last hours.
Its
veracity was confirmed
by the director of the Castro Rendón hospital, in the provincial capital.
"She is a patient who if she had not had Covid-19, she would also have died in a short time," Adrián Lammel explained to the website La Mañana.
In addition, he assured that continuing with the treatment was inadvisable even from a therapeutic point of view.
Lammel also clarified that the hospital had respirators, but that the beds that were released were going to be destined for
other patients with "priority".
For this reason, the transfer of this woman, as well as that of the other terminally ill patient, was requested to less complex centers.
However, the answer never came and both died in the Castro Rendón guard.
Andrea Peve, Minister of Health of Neuquén, where the health system is on the verge of collapse due to the coronavirus.
Photo Twitter Andrea Peve
Neuquén is one of the provinces that is experiencing the most complications in its health system.
In the latest decree that extended the coronavirus quarantine until October 25, the Government declared that a sustained increase in Covid-19 cases had been evidenced, which generates a lot of tension in the health system.
At that time, the occupancy of intensive care beds was 72% at the provincial level and 78% in the capital Neuquén.
The data worsened over the days and, since the end of last week, the system shows a
99% occupation of intensive care beds.
This Wednesday, the province's Ministry of Health reported 369 new cases of coronavirus, with three people dead (two women and one man, between 59 and 79 years old, all from the capital).
In this way, the number of infections since the beginning of the pandemic reaches 20,634, with 368 deaths from Covid-19.
At the time of this report, three hundred and sixty-nine (369) new people infected with Coronavirus (COVID-19) from the province of Neuquén were notified and five hundred fifty-three (553) new people recovered from Coronavirus were reported. t.co/iM4Ms9x4ci pic.twitter.com/LWR4KpzRel
- Ministry of Health (@MinSaludNeuquen) October 22, 2020
The complete call
"Who am I talking to?"
"With the daughter."
"Look, I've been seeing your mother since she entered."
Have they already talked to you?
-Yes.
"Your mom ... did you see she has a record?"
He came in breathing very, very badly.
And oxygen is not enough, you see?
With the little mask that we put on his face is not enough ...
-Yes Yes.
"... and she gets tired of breathing."
He's going to get tired at some point, okay?
-Yes.
—What we are doing is helping her not to feel short of breath, giving her oxygen and a little morphine so that she does not feel that difficulty.
Because she's not a candidate for plugging her into any respirator, she's not a candidate for intubating her, okay?
"Aha."
"Do you already know that?"
"No, they hadn't told me about that."
"Yeah, let's say, if she gets tired, we're not going to plug her into a respirator or anything like that."
-Oh well.
"The doctor told me he spoke to you."
-Yes Yes.
She spoke to me, but she didn't explain about intubating her, she didn't explain anything.
"She is not a candidate for intubation."
Breathing a device for her is not feasible.
So right now we are giving you comfort.
What is comfort?
It is to accompany her so that she does not feel the lack of air, with oxygen and with other things so that she feels good, yes?
-Good.
I ask you a question.
Were you able to locate a bed for her?
"No, not yet."
The Beds Center of the province has already been notified to see where she can be admitted.
But they told us there are no beds yet.
"In the meantime, are you going to stay there in the guard?"
"In the meantime, he's going to be here in the guard."
And they cannot see it.
"No, they already told us that."
"But just so you know: if she goes into respiratory arrest, she's not going to revive, okay?"
Do you understand that?
"Hmm.
"Because it's serious."
You are going to get tired of breathing.
That is what I want you to understand.
-(Silence)
"We're going to do everything possible so that she doesn't feel anything."
- (Crying) Ok.
Yes, okay ... Anything call me?
"We keep you posted."
"Any little thing will tell me."
"Yes, we are going to let you know."
Of course yes.
Look also
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