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Texas Man Dies After Waiting 16 Hours for Treatment in ER
SAN ANTONIO --
A spokeswoman for University Hospital has confirmed a man who witnesses say waited close to 16 hours in the emergency room died Tuesday morning.
Alfred Garza, who said he spoke to the man while also awaiting treatment, said the man was in obvious pain and told him he had been waiting in the ER since 8:00 a.m. Monday.
Garza said he noticed the man in distress at about midnight and asked a nurse to check his vital signs.
"She stood up and went and talked to another nurse, and they just stood at the window and looked at him," said Garza.
Garza said he sat next to the man a half-hour later and noticed he appeared to have stopped breathing. This time, he said he was able to get a nurse to attend to him.
Charles Davila, who said he was also waiting in the ER with his wife, said the nurse tried to wake the man, but he remained unresponsive. At that point, Davila said the man was taken to receive treatment.
Leni Kirkman, a spokeswoman for University Hospital, said the patient died at 9:00 a.m. in the Intensive Care Unit.
Due to HIPPA regulations, she was unable to go into detail about the cause of death.
"It was very frightening," said Davila. "I had been there for a while, watching this man wheel around in his chair, and if it was my grandfather, I would be very, very upset."
Both Davila and Garza said they believe the man's life could have been saved had he received proper medical care in a more timely manner.
Garza said he filed a complaint with the hospital's Patient Relations division.
Kirkman said the hospital will conduct a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the man's death.
"We have many challenges in the Emergency Center," said Kirkman, referring to fact that the hospital currently sees twice the number of patients that it's ER was built to serve. "We're working really hard to keep up with the demand for services."
A new, 10-story tower on the hospital's campus is currently under construction, which will double the current ER's capacity, Kirkman said.
The hospital is currently in the process of contacting the man's next of kin, Kirkman said.
Man Dies At Hospital After Waiting For TreatmentCopyright 2011 by KSAT.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
