A hospital in Hong Kong apologized for not following protocol after a nursing student performed an unsupervised procedure with an elderly patient, who later suffered a cardiac arrest and died.
On Monday night, Tuen Mun Hospital released a statement regarding the incident which was happened almost three weeks ago. The said hospital expressed deep condolences to the relatives of the deceased patient.
The nursing student in a surgical ward attempted to perform tracheal suction on the 61-year-old man on August 4, with a temporary tracheostomy after learning that he was uncomfortable and had sputum retention.
According to the South China Morning Post, the attempt of the student was in vain, and the patient has been found to have a small amount of blood-stained vomit. The student then asked for immediate help from a duty nurse who, along with other nurses, took over the procedure.
"The condition of the patient kept deteriorating and the patient's tracheostomy tube was also found displaced," said the spokesperson of the hospital.
Two doctors who are also on duty also attended to the patient. He suffered cardiac arrest but resumed circulation after half an hour. After that, he was sent to the intensive care unit (ICU). However, his condition worsened, and he died on August 25.
As per the hospital, the management started the preliminary investigation on August 7. They review the patient's symptoms as well as the procedure performed by the nursing student.
"According to the Hospital Authority's prevailing protocol, supervision and guidance must be provided when a nursing student is performing tracheostomy suction for patients," the spokesman said.
The case was referred to the coroner, and the Hospital Authority will start an investigation.
In June this year, a 75-year-old patient at Tuen Mun Hospital also died. A patient care assistant at the hospital allegedly shoved a "hard object ... the length of one's palm" up his rectum. The family demanded justice following the death of the man.
The end-stage renal failure patient complained that a hard object had been repeatedly inserted into him during a shower. His condition subsequently deteriorated and he died. The initial examination revealed the rectum of the patient had been perforated.
The family of the deceased patient reported the case to the police, who are investigating the incident. The hospital said it would cooperate with police in the investigation. The case has been referred to the coroner, but arrests have been made so far.
