Authority probing Abbotsford hospital death
85-year-old patient who fell down stairs died two days after being discharged
Fraser Health is investigating the third unexpected death this year linked to Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre after a patient was discharged with serious injuries and died two days later.
John Hehn, 85, died May 20 at the Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre following a heart attack, according to a Thursday Global News report.
Hehn’s family told Global he had suffered head trauma and fractured vertebrae in his neck after falling down stairs in his Aldergrove home two days earlier. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance, told to take Tylenol and released, but brought back May 20 in severe pain before he died, relatives said.
The family claims a doctor informed them Hehn should have been kept in a trauma ward overnight and not sent home after his fall.
Fraser Health is investigating his death, confirmed spokeswoman Tasleem Juma. She said the intent of the health authority’s review is to determine what care Hehn received and whether there are any changes that could be made.
Juma said Fraser Health is in contact with family members and will share with them any actions it plans to implement. Such investigations arise from any unexpected death in a hospital, she added.
“We have full confidence in our staff that are there,” Juma said. “Our doctors and nurses are highly trained. They’re really dedicated to providing quality care to our patients. This is an instance of an unexpected death and so we will do a review.”
Two other people died unexpectedly at the Abbotsford Regional Hospital earlier this year. A doctor from the hospital who spoke with Postmedia News in February — and asked that he not be identified for fear of repercussion — said they had concerns the hospital’s overcrowded emergency room was creating a risk to patients.
Three-year-old Nimrat Kaur Gill died Feb. 7 after family members brought her to the hospital’s ER one day earlier. She was discharged the same day but died a day later in hospital after her condition worsened.
Juma said an investigation revealed the toddler had been infected with an aggressive strain of Group A streptococcus. The B.C. Coroners Service launched an investigation two weeks later but was unreachable Friday for an update on the case.
On Feb. 2, Mary Louise Murphy, 56, died in her apartment hours after being discharged from the hospital’s ER. Her family says she waited about five hours to see an ER doctor, and was told she was experiencing muscle spasms, then discharged with a shot of morphine. They believe she may have died of a heart attack.