Patient gets seizure while inserting food pipe, dies

Hyderabad: Angry relatives, family members and friends staged a dharna at Yashoda Hospital, Secunderabad, on Saturday morning as 46-year-old K. Shamala, who had lapsed into coma, passed away in the hospital. The patient from Old Bhoiguda was admitted for high blood sugar, paralysis of throat muscles and kidney problems on June 10.

Sai Kiran, the deceased’s son, said, “My mother suffered from a seizure and was rushed to the hospital. She was in the ICU, but she had recovered. She could walk, go to the bathroom and even talk to us. She could not eat as the doctors said that her throat muscles were weak and due to the neurological problem she would have to stay in the hospital for a few days.”

But on June 18, her food pipe had come out and from 6 pm, the nurses were calling the doctors to re-insert the food pipe. Her husband,  Purshotham Raj, said, “No food was consumed for more than three hours. The doctor came at 9.30 pm and was very rude. He asked my wife to co-operate and allow him to insert the pipe. The pipe was inserted once, but it came out. We were made to stand and see the insertion of the pipe. The second time, doctor pushed it inside and she got a seizure. Blood started oozing out and all the doctors came running in as she was getting continuous seizures and then lapsed into a coma. They then rushed her to the ICU.”

Family members are angry about the time lost from 6 pm to 9.30 pm. They have lodged a complaint with the hospital and demanded action against the doctor who didn’t take into account the condition of the patient, absence of food for three hours and her diabetic state. The doctor apparently told the relatives that there were too many patients waiting for him and they must ask their patient to co-operate. As there would be a post-mortem, relatives were not willing to lodge a complaint with the police, but have written a complaint to the Telangana health minister.

Yashoda says death due to complication, not negligence

Suresh Kumar Reddy, the associate vice-president (co-ordination) at Yashoda Hospital, said, “The patient suffered from multiple problems and had recovered. But neurological problems were very complex and oxygen level in the blood was very low. While inserting the tube, due to less oxygen, the blood supply to the brain was hampered and the seizure was very severe. It’s the complication of the disease, and not a case of negligence. All attempts were made to revive her. We have not made the bill or even asked the family to pay an extra penny. It’s an insurance case and will be dealt with accordingly.”

Family members were also explained about the situation. But what they had witnessed shocked them. The hospital authorities, however, did not give any reasonable answer to the relatives about the lost time. Mr Kumar said, “We have forwarded their complaints against the doctor to the hospital committee and they will be looked into.”