"University Multi-profile Hospital for Active Treatment – Burgas" AD has been sentenced to pay 65,000 leva in compensation to the son of a patient who died after a series of medical errors. This was announced by lawyer Maria Sharkova about the decision of the Burgas District Court, which is not yet final.
The health facility must also pay interest from November 13, 2020, when the patient died. As of today, they amount to 34,193 leva. The hospital also owes 13,804 leva for legal expenses.
The tragic story begins when a man celebrates his birthday with his family. While sending off the guests, he stumbled on the stairs and fell from a height of about 1.5-2 meters, hit his head and briefly lost consciousness.
An ambulance transported him to the emergency department of the regional hospital, where he was admitted to a shock room. Later, the doctor on duty explained to his relatives that the patient was "going wild". After some time, the same doctor assured them that the patient was fine and was simply sleeping because he was drunk.
After repeated assurances that nothing serious was happening, the doctor insisted that his wife sign a waiver of hospitalization. The patient's son and his friend literally carried the "asleep" father in their arms and brought him home, where, on the advice of the doctor on duty, they let him sleep.
A few hours later, the wife noticed that the man did not seem to be simply asleep, as the doctor had explained. Upon a second visit to the hospital, a severe head injury and serious additional injuries were discovered - several broken ribs. Despite the surgery, the man died.
The court proceedings revealed that no triage was performed on the patient's first admission, and despite the data on altitude injury, only a head X-ray was performed instead of a CT scan.
The X-ray was not interpreted correctly and two visible skull fractures were not recognized. The victim was incorrectly sent home by a doctor without a specialty, who did not conduct the necessary consultations with specialists.
The court accepted that the patient fell into a coma during the first admission to the emergency department. The relatives were misled into thinking that he was simply sleeping, which was the reason the wife signed a refusal of hospitalization.
The experts at the court hearing stated that the "riots" were a manifestation of a subdural hematoma, which is characterized by changes in behavior and unusual movements.
According to experts, the prognosis for patients in a coma is not good, but those who undergo aggressive drug therapy and surgery by the fourth hour have a greater chance of survival.
The court is categorical that the patient had a chance of survival with timely and adequate medical intervention, but it was missed. The evidence requires a conclusion that there is no other cause of death than the craniocerebral trauma, which remained unrecognized and untreated in the first crucial hours.