# Do you know of anyone that died because of Hospital or Doctor error? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 17, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-anyone-that-died-because-of-hospital-or-doctor-error/704883 "2014-11-17T19:11:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-anyone-that-died-because-of-hospital-or-doctor-error/704883/61 "2014-11-25T01:42:27Z")
I knew a woman in the AF, who left the service, spent less than a month as a civilian she became ill with the flue, went to the ER and died within 48 hours. I was in the military for decades. People die in explosions, mishandled weapons, EOD accidents, airplane crashes, passed out drunk and drowned in their own vomit, got shot, blown up, or (in one case) had a sudden onset seizure while driving (sober) and crashed the car. But that woman who simply went to the ER with the flu and was dead two days later, has always baffled me. In this day and age, how can someone die of the flu in a modern American hospital? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-anyone-that-died-because-of-hospital-or-doctor-error/704883/62 "2014-11-25T02:35:47Z")
> [@Marion\_Wormer](#): > > In this day and age, how can someone die of the flu in a modern American hospital? Because true influenza is a serious respiratory disease that kills more than 1000 Americans every year - and those are the mild years. Unless there was more to the story, it doesn’t really fit in a list of “hospital or doctor error” Get your flu shot. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-anyone-that-died-because-of-hospital-or-doctor-error/704883/63 "2014-11-25T04:11:57Z")
> [@Marion\_Wormer](#): > > In this day and age, how can someone die of the flu in a modern American hospital? The same reason most Ebola patients expel massive quantities of fluid out (usually) both ends for days on end - cytokine storm. In the case of influenza patients, it can cause pulmonary edema, and while it rarely kills or disables otherwise healthy young people (except in 1918), it’s never impossible. One of my Facebook friends, who’s in her early 40s, spent a night in the ICU and a couple more days in the hospital a few years ago due to influenza; she had gone to the doctor because she was so miserable, and her O2 sat was low enough to warrant this. She does have other health problems, however. ---
**Author:** ![dada2fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ccd318/32.png) [@dada2fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dada2fish)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-anyone-that-died-because-of-hospital-or-doctor-error/704883/64 "2014-11-25T05:55:47Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > “Brain tumor” makes a better punch line. I’m going with that. Ten points for you. My mother was so pissed at that doctor she called in a complaint with that hospital. The details are vague, but i remember the hospital had some of meeting or re-training to remind medical staff to not dismiss any disease or illness to a patient unless they’ve been tested and proven they do not have it. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-anyone-that-died-because-of-hospital-or-doctor-error/704883/65 "2014-11-25T15:52:48Z")
> [@GreenElf](#): > > I’m having a procedure done today, so this thread is a real pick me up. ☹ I hope your procedure went well. If it helps, before my sinus surgery I’d read a long news story about anesthesia mix-ups where the patient didn’t get the pain meds, only the paralyzing meds. Yeah. That made me feel great. I just \*knew \*that I was going to have that happen. Or die. ---
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-anyone-that-died-because-of-hospital-or-doctor-error/704883/66 "2014-11-25T21:39:39Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Because true influenza is a serious respiratory disease that kills more than 1000 Americans every year - and those are the mild years. Unless there was more to the story, it doesn’t really fit in a list of “hospital or doctor error” > > Get your flu shot. Sorry! I was still mentally over on the “How many of your co-workers have died” thread. :smack: Such a cheerful group around the holidays. I can’t wait to check in on Christmas day. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-anyone-that-died-because-of-hospital-or-doctor-error/704883/67 "2014-11-25T22:13:51Z")
My grandfather (a medical doctor) died in the hospital in 2004. Back in 1983 or so, he had a pituitary tumor removed, so his pituitary did not produce a wide variety of hormones needed to sustain life. He faithfully took his artificial hormones every day on time for 20 years. On the afternoon of the day he died, his nurse gave him a big handful of pills to swallow all at once with a small cup of water. He tried, but he coughed some of it back up. She said, “oh, well, he got most of it down,” and _tossed the rest in the sink_ before my aunt could stop her. He died that night. We have no proof that this incident was in any way related, but the family definitely has our suspicions. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-anyone-that-died-because-of-hospital-or-doctor-error/704883/68 "2014-12-01T05:29:00Z")
> [@ENugent](#): > > My grandfather (a medical doctor) died in the hospital in 2004. Back in 1983 or so, he had a pituitary tumor removed, so his pituitary did not produce a wide variety of hormones needed to sustain life. He faithfully took his artificial hormones every day on time for 20 years. On the afternoon of the day he died, his nurse gave him a big handful of pills to swallow all at once with a small cup of water. He tried, but he coughed some of it back up. She said, “oh, well, he got most of it down,” and _tossed the rest in the sink_ before my aunt could stop her. > > He died that night. We have no proof that this incident was in any way related, but the family definitely has our suspicions. MHO: Unlikely. However, that’s a strange attitude to have about someone’s medication. :smack: I had totally forgotten about a woman I worked with who died in 2005 from lung cancer. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-anyone-that-died-because-of-hospital-or-doctor-error/704883/69 "2014-12-01T05:30:35Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I know several people who had delayed diagnosis of cancer even when all the symptoms were clear enough that their friends were telling them they had cancer. A close friend of mine was being treated for kidney infection and had lost close to 50# in 4 months before he was tested for cancer. He survived but lost a lot of useful parts. Denial can do awful things to people. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-anyone-that-died-because-of-hospital-or-doctor-error/704883/70 "2014-12-01T15:50:21Z")
One of the most famous cases has to be [Jonathan Larson](http://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/13/nyregion/2-hospitals-fined-in-wake-of-death-of-rent-creator.html), who died right before his musical Rent would have given him the fame and fortune he so rightly deserved. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-anyone-that-died-because-of-hospital-or-doctor-error/704883/71 "2014-12-01T16:04:14Z")
Not death, but my uncle lost one eye due to malpractice. He’d had cataract surgery, and devoted a small infection. He called his surgeon to complain of pain, and the surgeon brushed off as normal post-op pain. By the time out hurt enough that my uncle KNEW the surgeon was wrong, and showed up to have out checked, it was too late to save the eye. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-anyone-that-died-because-of-hospital-or-doctor-error/704883/72 "2014-12-01T17:08:53Z")
A friend of mine, who is only 30, has been sick for ages. I’ve known her about 3 years, and she has had health problems the whole time, chronic low blood pressure, serious digestive issues, low blood cell counts. She went to the doctors repeatedly for these things, with no real answers about what might be going on. Some unspecified auto-immune disorder was suggested, but she continued to get worse. Finally she ended up in the ER, after not being able to keep food down for days. She was sent home with pain killers. Went back the next night, same thing. The following night, she went to a different ER, where it was discovered she needed emergency surgery to remove a large cancerous tumor from her colon. ☹ The docs at the new ER said without the surgery, she had about 48 hours to live. So now she’s on chemo, but the prognosis would have been much better if this had been caught earlier. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-of-anyone-that-died-because-of-hospital-or-doctor-error/704883.md?page=3)