described as "...dizzy and ayes |

rolling up. Very pale." About 10
minutes later, at 2:35 p.m., the
sequence of events states:

"Patient not responding to pain. -

Dr. Boyd -aware." Ten minutes
later: “Alert, very pale, oxygen
started." And at 3:15 p.m. George
was examined by Dr. Boyd.

The record of events to that |
- point fills two pages in the report. .

‘At 11:20 pm. George was
returned to the operating room for
a second operation.

Lynch’s report describes. this.
event as follows: "When the abdo-
men was opened, Dr. Chorn esti-
mated a discharge of three litres

_ of blood, Dr. Boyd mentions in his

operative’ report a measured

quantity of 800 cc of blood. |

"During the first hour of the

operation; the patient's

pressure rose steadily to 120

systolic and the pulse fell to 120 —

beats per minute. The rent in the
uterus was sutured. ;
"At: 0055 hours, when the
operation was one hour and
twenty minutes mature, there
was a sudden vascular collapse
with the anesthetist reporting
ventricular tachycardia. Dr. Peter
‘Hoy and Dr. Grant, who was.
called to the operating, room at
0120 hours (1:20 am), assisted
with resuscitation,
Following George's return: to
the Intensive Care Unit, the
report states: "For a number of
hours following discharge from
the operation room there had
been no urine output, the pulse
had been over 160 and a blood:
pressure could not be obtained.
"A review of nurses’ notes.and

_ physicians’ progress notes during _

the next 24 hours indicates that
the patient remained comatose
with fixed dilated pupils. She was

managed on a respirator with -

large quantities of IV fluids, di-
uretics and Dopamine in order to

maintain a blood Pressure and -

some urine output."

Further in the report, "The
following day, September’ 13,
there was some sluggish pupillary

reaction and reaction to painful

blood -

in the report,

stimuli. . After a Swanz-Ganz .

catheter hdd been’ introduced,
larger quantities of fluid were

administered to attempt to obtain -

a more reasonable ‘urine output.
Blood pressure was maintained
over 110 systolic, pulse was over
140:and temperature 38.7. There
was marked edema. .

"On September 14, the condi-
tion deteriorated and a_ blood -

pressure could not be obtained

after 1256 hours (12:55 p.m.). The '

pulse was over 145. The patient
was transferred to St. Paul's Hos-

pital. --

"During the transfer the pulse
was over 140 and with Dopamine

the systolic blood pressure was -

approximately 95. Forty-five min-

utes after admission there was a .
cardiac arrest and the patient was

pronounced dead two hours later. "

. Lynch also offers this con-
"Recently a -mentally
disabled patient died in the Mills...
_ Memoryial .
undiagnosed diabetic ketoacidosis.
This case. had been reviewed-to .
determine if multiple physicians’.
and nurses had demonstrated.a ~
lack of responsibility or knowl-:
. edge in the care of the. patient.
"Now. we have a native Indian 7
patient dying following - a ‘thera-.
peutic abortion and the commun- -

clusion:

Hospital ‘due . to

ity might be concerned that, there
is a double standard of care in
Terrace; however, it is my opinion
that. this investigation can

’ exclude this possibility. .

"The case under investigation
does not demonstrate any. evi-
dence. that there was a lack of
responsibility shown by multiple
members of the medical team."

Although the coroner’s recom-
mendations carry the force of his

professional authority, they are

not binding in law. As of Wednes-

day evening it was not known |
_ whether the College of Physicians .
and Surgeons, Mills Memorial
- Hospital or the Ministry of Health

will follow the recommendations

~ Tod Strachan

_ search of a telephone.

CABIN BURNS

IN MINUTES

. Fire destroyed a Lakelse Lake
cabin in less than 10 minutes
Monday morning. Located on the

- east side of the lake near the

Lakelse River, the 24x24 foot, all-
cedar, A-frame -retreat repre-
sented 20 years of weekend
labour by a Prince Rupert family.
The fire started in the rear
laundry room just after 10 a.m:
Two women and two teenage girls
were at the breakfast table inside.

. the cabin at the time and told -

firefighters they heard a loud -
"pop". The four. escaped safely,
and one of the girls drove off in

Thornhill fire chief Art

-Hoving says there was little any-
- one could do to help. He says he

was told that the building was —
totally involved in flame within.

‘five minutes and the roof col-

lapsed in less than 10 minutes.
The best Thornhill firefighters

7 were able to do was save‘an adja-.

cent’ cabin and ‘ensure the fire

‘didn’t spread into the bush.

Hoving says he believes leaking.
propane ignited by a hot water
tank pilot light was the cause of
the blaze. The loss has meen. esti- .

~ mated at over $40, 000.

JET GETS .

: SUPPORT |

Terrace council has written. a :

letter to premier Mike Harcourt |

supporting a TransProvincial
Airlines submission to provide a
Terrace-based jet medevac ser-
vice. According to TPA general
manger James Soden, “The air-
craft would provide quick

' response to emergency evacuation

request to the population of the
north, giving the people of this

region a service which has long.

been in place for larger centres.”
Present medevac service
requires Victoria-based aircraft=>

~ ‘Terrace Review — April 24,1992 > 3