First off ….my condolences to your family on the loss of your daughter. And thank you for providing this service to bring to light the corruption in the health care industry.
This is just a brief summary of our experience. I am still putting together a more detailed list of misdiagnosed and/or over prescribing of meds, blood samples and X-rays/CT scans.
My feeling is that Raul was immediately seen as a $ sign for the hospital and immediately assumed that he was suffering from COVID (especially since he did not receive the vaccine). We tried several times to get the PCR test results (criteria, e.g. cycle threshold, etc). We were told that although we are entitled to get it….the will not provide it. The doctor actually said that they do not see the criteria used for the test…just the result. How can a doctor treat his patients without knowing the criteria used to determine his illness? (Actually, I know ….this way doctors have no responsibility…"just doing what we are told.") The denial by the hospital staff to immediate treat him for dehydration was (IMHO) a major factor is his progressively worsening condition. He was in two hospitals for a total period of 2 ½ months.
July 14, 2021
While preparing to go on an (extended) family vacation, my son-in-law Raul worked long hours to get caught up on his business. He is the sole owner/operator of his dental lab. He did not take care of himself as he normally would….eating properly, getting enough sleep, etc. He was taking his vitamins….D3 (10,000 mg daily), Zinc, etc. He became so weak that he collapsed at home and had to be taken to the hospital. Raul was taken by the Bennington Rescue Squad to Immanuel Hospital after collapsing at home from exhaustion and breathing problems.
While I have no medical training, I am a retired registered professional engineer and do know how to do research and ask pertinent questions to be fully informed. During my review of these documents, I have found several areas of concern that must ….at a minimum …invite questions and demand answers.
Recordings were also taken of discussions with doctors in order to understand all of the tests, medications, clarification of treatment for Raul. (It is very difficult to retain all of the information being thrown at family members under stressful conditions). These recordings were in compliance with Nebraska State law.
(https://recordinglaw.com/united-states-recording-laws/one-party-consent-states/nebraska-recording-laws)
Immanuel Hospital records show that he was diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia….and also Covid-pneumonia. He was not given an IV to hydrate him. They also discontinued his vitamin intake. The family expressed concern about his dryness and begged that he be given an IV and also that his vitamin intake be done. The doctors said that they wanted to treat COVID patients "as dry as possible."
While blood tests are absolutely necessary in evaluating patients, excessive blood draws can cause iatrogenic anemia (multiple phlebotomies). On two occasions it appears that an excessive number of blood samples were taken.
- July 14 12 blood samples taken over a 6 hour period (1130 to 1718)
- July 20 10 blood samples taken over a 11.5 hour period (0400 to 1530)
There was a total of 41 blood draws over the 7 days that Raul was at Immanuel Hospital (July14-20)
Researchers say, "It typically takes at least 48 hours to confirm a bacterial infection, so it appears that physicians frequently prescribed antibiotics empirically, i.e., before confirmation." Despite this, antibiotics for treating bacterial pneumonia began within 3 hours of admission to Immanuel. (IHC2-11)
There are numerous studies on the over-prescribing of antibiotics which leads to antimicrobial resistance and some researchers claim that it is another global pandemic that causes 700,000 deaths a year. COVID-19 pneumonia and the appropriate use of antibiotics - PubMed (nih.gov)
On July 20th, he was transferred to Bergan Mercy hospital because it was determined that he needed to be put on an ECMO machine.
Raul was placed on the ECMO machine upon arrival at Bergan Hospital on July 20th. Prior to his arrival, the longest that anyone was on ECMO at Bergan Hospital was 38 days. Raul’s total time was 67 days. At least twice, there was an attempt to wean him off the ECMO and have him breathe on his own. We were told that if he could breathe on his own for 24 hours, he may be weaned off the ECMO. He successfully met this goal not only once, but twice. On the second time, doctors decided to push the envelope and aim for 48 hours clamped off the ECMO. During our meeting with DR _______ on September 27th, he stated that the reason Raul was placed back on the ECMO (unclamped) was because his CO2 increased significantly. During this time, the ECMO machine is "clamped" but not completely disconnected. This is despite the fact that bacteria is continuously built up in the ECMO tubing, thus requiring more antibiotics, including the "Big Gun" antibiotic as Dr _________called it. This was because all the previous antibiotics had lost their effectiveness.
On August 25, 2021, Raul’s doctor said Raul has been on cyproheptadine since leaving Immanuel. The cyproheptadine (used to suppress reduce Serotonin) also conflicted with medications at Bergan (SSRI med) that increases Serotonin. This resulted in prolonged hospital stay and time on the ECMO machine. Dr. __________informed his spouse of this and recommended that Raul be weaned off of the cyproheptadine which eventually took two weeks. This total time amounted to around 7 weeks which obviously extended his hospital stay and time on the ECMO machine and continued administration of more and more antibiotics.
Long term use of this drug has the side effect of urinary retention (bladder retention) which can lead to kidney failure. Urinary Retention - incomplete bladder emptying - https://www.wellspect.us/bladder/the-urinary-system/common-urinary-issues/retention
Radiology Associates – X-rays & CT scans
There have been several studies / papers by doctors on the over-prescribing of X-rays and CT scans for various reasons…..including:
- Protection against malpractice lawsuits
- Financial gain for hospitals
Raul had at least 55 X-rays / CT scans
- 48 Chest X-rays Single View
- 3 CT Scan Head w/o contrast
- 1 CT Scan Abdomen & Pelvis w/o contrast
- 1 CT Thorax w/o contrast
- 1 X-ray Abdomen Single View
- 1 Ultrasound retroperitoneal
In some cases there were 3 or 4 on the same day. This seems very excessive.
Omaha, NE