She had been on a stretcher for twelve hours.
On December 18, 2018, Micheline Myrtil, 55, from Martinique, died alone in the emergency department of Lariboisière hospital, in Paris.
More than two years after this dysfunction with the tragic outcome, the Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) was indicted on March 3 for "manslaughter", we learned Thursday from a close source folder.
The AP-HP is accused, according to information obtained by AFP, of not having "adapted the organization, premises and staffing levels to the needs of the emergency department of the Lariboisière hospital (. ..) with consequences for the death of the patient ”.
A mistake in the recording
This indictment opens the way to a possible trial.
During the questioning before a Parisian examining magistrate, the director of legal affairs of the AP-HP, representing the institution, considered that the death of Micheline Myrtil was "due to a double fault in the recording and to the verification of the patient's identity ”upon reception, a procedure according to her“ extremely strict and well-defined ”.
This representative, on the other hand, “disputed the unsuitable nature of the premises as well as the insufficiency of human resources allocated to the emergency department”, a situation however presented as “recurrent and known to the administration of the establishment” by the judges. .
This indictment “is a real step forward in this case.
The responsibility of the AP-HP is fully engaged ”, reacted the lawyer of the family of the victim, Me Eddy Arneton.
Contacted, the AP-HP lawyer Me Mario Stasi declined to comment immediately.
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Micheline Myrtil, who had been brought by the firefighters on Monday at 6:45 pm to the Lariboisière emergency room, complained of "headache and fever".
She had not previously been able to find a place in a medical center where she had wanted to be taken care of, and had then contacted the firefighters.
The caregivers considered that she was out
She was seen by a reception and guidance nurse, as required by the procedure, but was not called until 1:20 a.m.
She had been referred “on short circuit”, which means that her case was not perceived as a life-threatening emergency.
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According to the AP-HP, "after being called without success, the patient was considered to have been discharged".
A crucial point: no caregiver therefore went to physically check that the person was there ... or not.
She was found dead around 6 a.m. in the emergency room waiting room.
She was therefore not seen by a doctor.
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The family quickly denounced a failing care.
“Twelve hours on a stretcher, totally isolated without a service realizing that someone is dying, it is clearly a sign of neglect, declared the family of Micheline Myrtil to the Parisian, a few days after his death. death.
The efficiency is not there, it is unacceptable, they must do their job thoroughly ”.
A first autopsy report had established that the patient had died "of an acute respiratory failure secondary to pulmonary edema".
At the end of an internal investigation, the Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) and the regional health agency (ARS) of Île-de-France had recognized a "series of dysfunctions", against a background of chronic understaffing.
The death of the patient had fueled the chronic debate on the crisis in the hospital world, even before it was shaken by the health crisis linked to the Covid-19 epidemic.