I’m sure that you’ve either experienced something insane in a hospital or at the very least heard of someone’s encounter while staying over. All sorts of crazy happen in a hospital and nurses must have some exciting stories to tell us. This one about elderly patients and a ventilator in particular ranks somewhere at the top of the list.
A 72-year-old woman has promptly been arrested in Germany
Police have arrested a 72-year-old woman in Mannheim, Germany. The woman is suspected of attempted manslaughter after switching off a hospital roommate’s ventilator -TWICE. The real doozy? She did it because she found the sound of the ventilator annoying. Talk about a low tolerance for others.
Prosecutors and police have come forward claiming that nurse staff had prior told the woman that the ventilator was vital for the patient’s survival. She then again went ahead and switched it off for a second time later on in the evening. This left the older patient who was already bed-bound needing emergency intervention, she had to be revived and currently remains in need of intensive care.
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The suspect who allegedly switched off the ventilator appeared on Wednesday before a judge
The 72-year-old appeared on Wednesday before a judge. She was thereafter taken to jail. It’s unclear why the neighboring 79-year-old patient required a ventilator. BUT as we know, ventilators are essential in assisting those with breathing difficulties to breathe without help.
It was a major highlight of the Covid-19 epidemic how important ventilators could be. They potentially saved the lives of some of the sickest patients. A virus that claimed over 6 million people’s lives in a span of 2-3 years, those who survived have to thank the medical care they received during this time.
Reports show that 25,000 German patients are currently on ventilators
A Healthcare International report has shown that there are approximately 25,000 patients in Germany alone currently relying on ventilators. That’s a rather large number, yet the biggest rise in patients requiring assisted breathing definitely occurred mid-Covid-19 in 2021 – where tens of thousands of new devices were ordered for hospitals and private care facilities.
Some followers had interesting ideas on coping suggestions for those who struggle to get rest in hospitals
“When on a ward with other patients, the solution, I found, was to buy a set of earplugs. These come in a variety of types, from mouldable wax to silicon. Very effective for blocking out loud snoring.” said one about the invasive sound of a ventilator in the same room. “They are noisy and these patients should have had separate rooms.” Vented another.
Some even jumped at the 72-year-old’s defense
“You know, there are many people in their 70’s, who have dementia or Alzheimer’s. How can they actually be blamed? Hospitals need to do a little better at separating patients. These people do not have a clue. I’m not saying that’s what the problem is with a 72year old. Just saying that they need to look at every aspect of this problem.”
“An old gentleman was put into my husband’s private room because they had no space left. The old gentleman was lying up in bed smoking and he was on oxygen. My husband kept telling him and the doctors and nurses that he was going to blow the two of them up plus the hospital.”
“My husband had been operated on and got out of there as soon as possible. They tried to do what they could but as soon as they left he’d start again!” Commented one woman whose husband had a rather interesting encounter while booked in for surgery in the US.
Gosh, it sure seems that if you’re going to get any rest at a hospital, you’ll probably need some earphones to drown out those sounds. We wouldn’t recommend trying any of that other stuff – it could get you into some serious trouble! Or better yet, try your best to avoid ending up in one at all!
Sources
- “Hospital patient, 72, who switched off her roommate’s VENTILATOR because the sound annoyed her is arrested on suspicion of attempted manslaughter in Germany.” Daily Mail. Tom Brown. December 2, 2022.