2024-01-12 05:00:00
A 78-year-old grandmother who was in great shape died at the Saint-Eustache hospital following spending 30 hours in the emergency room, without eating or drinking, while awaiting a hip operation for which the specialist doctor did not had not received the request sent by fax.
“They completely forgot regarding it! deplores Marilou Medawar, still shocked six months following the death of her mother. It’s not his body that abandoned him, it’s the health system!”
Aged 78, Montrealer Annette Abouchaar was in great shape and walked three hours a day.
“She was an invincible woman. She was top shape“, swears his granddaughter Felicia Cipro.
*After reading the article this morning, the Coroner’s Office advised the Journal that an investigation into the circumstances of the death will be carried out. This death was not reported by the establishment to the coroner last year.
On June 23, Ms. Abouchaar’s life was turned upside down when she fractured her left hip during a stupid fall on a step at a family party.
Annette Abouchaar, 78, died on July 6, 2023, following undergoing hip surgery at Saint-Eustache hospital for which she was made to wait for 30 hours, without eating or drinking. His daughter Marilou Medawar (left) is convinced that this wait caused his death. COURTESY Abouchaar family COURTESY Abouchaar family
Transported to Saint-Eustache hospital around 3 p.m., the eldest then spent 30 hours on a stretcher, without being able to eat or drink, while awaiting surgery. She also mightn’t move and was given medication for pain. She finally had surgery on June 24, at 10 p.m.
Listen to the interview with his daughter on Richard Martineau’s show via OLD :
“They forgot me”
“We were told that she would be operated on at midnight the same evening or at the latest the next morning at 8 a.m.,” recalls her daughter. My mother said: they forgot me!”
“We restarted regarding ten times. We were told: it’s the system, ma’am,” she adds.
As she left for her surgery, Ms. Abouchaar’s relatives noted that she was becoming confused.
During the operation, the healthcare team discovered that the woman had a fat embolism, says her daughter. The patient was transferred to intensive care, but ultimately died on July 6, following a week in intensive care and then palliative care.
COURTESY Abouchaar family
“She had lost too much oxygen,” emphasizes her daughter, who remained hopeful despite everything. It was hell.”
After the death, the family filed a complaint with the Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS) of the Laurentides. The response confirmed their fear: an administrative delay delayed treatment.
In fact, the CISSS wrote that an orthopedic request was faxed on June 23 at 11:47 p.m., to the responsible operator. Around 5:50 p.m. the next day, the orthopedist was called directly since the lady had still not been seen.
Request not received
“The latter claims to have never received the consultation request,” writes the CISSS. The patient was seen quickly therefollowing and operated on in the evening.
“It’s the fax system, it doesn’t make sense! […] The surgeon was beside himself,” recalls Ms. Medawar, convinced that the long delay was to blame for her mother’s death.
“That’s what’s frustrating. We would have accepted her more if she had been taken care of and there had been surgical complications.”
“If it wasn’t for this accident, she might have lived for several more years,” also believes her 24-year-old granddaughter.
In his analysis, the Deputy Complaints Commissioner was unable to clearly identify the cause of the delay, but admits that the administrative procedure in place for requests is “laborious and at risk of breakdown”.
No direct link to death
“Moreover, we are concerned to note that no member of the nursing staff who ensured constant supervision of your mother reported the presence of these delays to a person in authority, who might possibly have intervened,” writes the commissioner. complaints assistant, Martin Manseau.
Despite everything, the CISSS does not confirm that the surgical delay led to the patient’s death.
“It would be hazardous and unreasonable to conclude that there is a direct causal link,” we write.
By email, the CISSS confirmed yesterday that the procedures between the emergency room and the surgery program have been revised since this death.
“A safety net is in place to prevent a request from going unfollowed, both in specialized medicine and for all types of examinations requested,” writes the communications department. Fax is still used, but a computerized list is also in place.
For the family, this death is unacceptable and must serve as a lesson to avoid other similar cases. Originally from Lebanon, Ms. Abouchaar arrived in Quebec at the age of 20 and had a career as a teacher.
“My mother worked hard all her life. She gave a lot to society. And in the end, we feel like we let her down,” laments her daughter.
Do you want to report a situation in the health network?
Write to me at
1705083951
#grandmother #broken #hip #spent #hours #emergency #room #eating #drinking #completely #forgot #laments #daughter