83-year-old grandmother dies after hospital fails to turn on oxygen tank
PUBLISHED ON JUL 15, 2014 6:17 AM
A grandmother died from a lack of oxygen to her brain after staff transferring her from one hospital to another did not turn on the oxygen tank after putting her on a ventilator. - ST GRAPHIC
BY IAN POH
SINGAPORE - A grandmother died from a lack of oxygen to her brain after staff transferring her from one hospital to another did not turn on the oxygen tank after putting her on a ventilator.
Madam Ramasamy Krishnama became unresponsive in the three to four minutes that passed before the oxygen was turned on, a coroner's inquiry heard yesterday. No foul play is suspected.
The 83-year-old, who had been warded in June last year at Tan Tock Seng Hospital following a heart attack, was being transferred to Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital when the incident took place about a month later.
Madam Ramasamy, who had become dependent on mechanical ventilation, died a few hours after her condition deteriorated owing to "ventilatory failure" that cut off her oxygen supply.
- See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/courts-crime/story/oxygen-tank-not-turned-then-patient-dies-20140715#sthash.52eZ0PeM.dpuf
- wong chee tat :)
Showing posts with label oxygen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label oxygen. Show all posts
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Coroner's finding on elderly woman's death: Oxygen tank was not turned on
Coroner's finding on elderly woman's death: Oxygen tank was not turned on
Coroner's inquiry into death of 83-year-old woman during hospital transfer
Jul 31, 2014 6:00am
1: At 6.40pm, a three-person Mount E Novena transfer team prepares to transfer Madam Ramasamy Krishnama from TTSH to Mount E. The nurses prepare a portable ventilator and oxygen tank. They put the elderly patient on a gurney and place her on the paraPAC portable ventilator. The team hears a hissing sound, which they take to mean that the oxygen supply to the ventilator is switched on.TNP
INFOGRAPHICS: CELESTINO GULAPA
By: RONALD LOH
It was a basic task - ensuring their patients had oxygen to breathe while she was being transferred from one hospital to another.
But when the medical team heard a hissing sound, they mistook it to mean that the ventilator was already switched on.
That mistake lead to the death of Madam Ramasamy Krishnama, 83, who suffered hypoxic brain injury, which occurs when insufficient oxygen gets to the brain, in July last year.
Yesterday, State Coroner Marvin Bay questioned whether there were sufficient safeguard procedures in place during the transfer, where the roles of the medical team are critical.
He also called for a review of protocols when transferring a patient from one hospital to another.
Madam Krishnama's son told The New Paper yesterday that his mother's death had been a shock to all of them.
"All we wanted was for her to come back (from the hospital) safe and sound," he added.
Parkway Shenton, which was handling the transfer and is part of the healthcare chain with Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital and Gleneagles Hospital, said it is "deeply sorry for the family's loss" and is taking a very serious view of the incident and has since reviewed and revised its protocols that address the relevant issues.
Read the full report in our print edition on Thursday (July 31). Subscribe to The New Paper, now available in print and digital, at http://bit.ly/tnpeshop.
- See more at: http://www.tnp.sg/news/coroners-finding-elderly-womans-death-oxygen-tank-was-not-turned#sthash.zVkE6LS8.dpuf
- wong chee tat :)
Coroner's inquiry into death of 83-year-old woman during hospital transfer
Jul 31, 2014 6:00am
1: At 6.40pm, a three-person Mount E Novena transfer team prepares to transfer Madam Ramasamy Krishnama from TTSH to Mount E. The nurses prepare a portable ventilator and oxygen tank. They put the elderly patient on a gurney and place her on the paraPAC portable ventilator. The team hears a hissing sound, which they take to mean that the oxygen supply to the ventilator is switched on.TNP
INFOGRAPHICS: CELESTINO GULAPA
By: RONALD LOH
It was a basic task - ensuring their patients had oxygen to breathe while she was being transferred from one hospital to another.
But when the medical team heard a hissing sound, they mistook it to mean that the ventilator was already switched on.
That mistake lead to the death of Madam Ramasamy Krishnama, 83, who suffered hypoxic brain injury, which occurs when insufficient oxygen gets to the brain, in July last year.
Yesterday, State Coroner Marvin Bay questioned whether there were sufficient safeguard procedures in place during the transfer, where the roles of the medical team are critical.
He also called for a review of protocols when transferring a patient from one hospital to another.
Madam Krishnama's son told The New Paper yesterday that his mother's death had been a shock to all of them.
"All we wanted was for her to come back (from the hospital) safe and sound," he added.
Parkway Shenton, which was handling the transfer and is part of the healthcare chain with Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital and Gleneagles Hospital, said it is "deeply sorry for the family's loss" and is taking a very serious view of the incident and has since reviewed and revised its protocols that address the relevant issues.
Read the full report in our print edition on Thursday (July 31). Subscribe to The New Paper, now available in print and digital, at http://bit.ly/tnpeshop.
- See more at: http://www.tnp.sg/news/coroners-finding-elderly-womans-death-oxygen-tank-was-not-turned#sthash.zVkE6LS8.dpuf
- wong chee tat :)
Friday, July 5, 2013
Thousands of dead fish spotted at Lim Chu Kang
Thousands of dead fish spotted at Lim Chu Kang
POSTED: 04 Jul 2013 12:03 AM
Thousands of dead fish have been found floating at sea and on the shore at the Lim Chu Kang area as well as the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
SINGAPORE: Thousands of dead fish have been found floating at sea and on the shore at the Lim Chu Kang area as well as the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
The dead fish were among 90 tonnes of fish belonging to four farms in the Lim Chu Kang area.
AVA said the fish have died due to lack of oxygen in the water. This, it said, was caused by the hot and dry weather which lowered the level of dissolved oxygen in the water.
AVA has been working closely with local farmers to encourage good farm practices which include properly bagging dead fish and disposing of them in bins.
Fish farms in Singapore are licensed by AVA. Under the conditions of licensing, coastal fish farms have to ensure that waste generated from their operations are properly disposed of in approved waste containers on land.
However, AVA noted that during the farms' emergency operations to remove the dead fishes for disposal, some could have dropped into the sea and got washed ashore.
In anticipation of more waste, AVA said it had activated the waste disposal company to increase the frequency of disposal.
Three additional trips were made on top of the usual trip to clear waste last weekend.
AVA also conducts routine surveillance and monitors fish farms regularly for compliance to licensing conditions.
“We will take enforcement action if farms are found to be disposing their farm waste into the waters. In addition, we work with relevant agencies to detect illegal dumping of waste into the sea by fish farms," said a spokesman from AVA.
Under the Fisheries Act, any person who illegally disposes of dead fish into the waters can be jailed up to 12 months, and fined up to S$10,000.
- CNA/fa
- wong chee tat :)
POSTED: 04 Jul 2013 12:03 AM
Thousands of dead fish have been found floating at sea and on the shore at the Lim Chu Kang area as well as the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
SINGAPORE: Thousands of dead fish have been found floating at sea and on the shore at the Lim Chu Kang area as well as the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
The dead fish were among 90 tonnes of fish belonging to four farms in the Lim Chu Kang area.
AVA said the fish have died due to lack of oxygen in the water. This, it said, was caused by the hot and dry weather which lowered the level of dissolved oxygen in the water.
AVA has been working closely with local farmers to encourage good farm practices which include properly bagging dead fish and disposing of them in bins.
Fish farms in Singapore are licensed by AVA. Under the conditions of licensing, coastal fish farms have to ensure that waste generated from their operations are properly disposed of in approved waste containers on land.
However, AVA noted that during the farms' emergency operations to remove the dead fishes for disposal, some could have dropped into the sea and got washed ashore.
In anticipation of more waste, AVA said it had activated the waste disposal company to increase the frequency of disposal.
Three additional trips were made on top of the usual trip to clear waste last weekend.
AVA also conducts routine surveillance and monitors fish farms regularly for compliance to licensing conditions.
“We will take enforcement action if farms are found to be disposing their farm waste into the waters. In addition, we work with relevant agencies to detect illegal dumping of waste into the sea by fish farms," said a spokesman from AVA.
Under the Fisheries Act, any person who illegally disposes of dead fish into the waters can be jailed up to 12 months, and fined up to S$10,000.
- CNA/fa
- wong chee tat :)
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