Louisiana doctor cleared in patient deaths recalls Hurricane Katrina

[rainbow4321]

With hurricane season upon us, you wonder how many health care professionals will think twice before they stay behind to help.
-------------------------
(much more at the link)

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/072108dnnatkatrinadoctor.75ec8560.html

Toilets had backed up and temperatures in the eight-story building reached almost 110 degrees because the windows didn't open. Power had failed, levees broke and 80 percent of New Orleans was flooded, including the hospital basement where the generators were.

Pou, the doctor accused – and later cleared – of giving lethal doses of drugs to four patients during the chaos recalled the four days of misery in a recent interview with The Associated Press. It was her most detailed account of the scene where 34 patients died since the storm three years ago.

<snip>

Under the military's orders, the staff did reverse triage. The healthiest patients were taken out first in an effort to save the greatest number of people.


Many had to be carried to the roof. It was slow, backbreaking work, with as many as 10 people struggling up the dark stairs with a stretcher. At least 34 people died waiting for rescuers.

[madokie]

1. The crimes committed during Katrina was by our own government

bushco should be held to account.

[knitter4democracy]

2. Good. She did the right thing, the only thing, and it's the right decision.

Hubby was thoroughly horrified when the first reports of the hospital came out. He said that any good doctor in that situation would make the patients comfortable and help ease their suffering and way to death, rather than let them suffocate or die horribly. Dr. Pou was a good doctor, and all those cowards who turned on her or ran and left her there should rot in hell.

[AnneD]

3. And Medical Folks all over the US were watching this case....

It will be a cold day in hell before I would put myself in a no win situation only to be second guessed and prosecuted for my efforts. My family comes first.

[rainbow4321]

5. anyone remember when the radio transmissions were transcribed here on DU

and I believe they were also printed in NO's local paper.


The radio transmissions were online 24/7 for all to hear, in real time.
If there is ever an investigation into the post Katrina failure (I can dream, can't I?) Congress NEEDS to GET those tapes/transcriptions and broadcast them, line by line.

They showed just how unprepared and sloppy the post disaster care/rescue (er, non-rescue) was.

It really got interesting after hours when the brass had gone home and the lower level workers were on the air. They aired what was really NOT going on..it was when the truth was put on the airwaves for all to hear.

They talked about how their pre-disaster class didn't prepare them at all...there were on the ground responders having to call and beg the central command site for antibiotics, anti-diarrhea meds, and basic first aid supplies. At one point I heard the same request 48 hours after the initial request. The on the ground person doing the requesting sounding more and more confused about why they could not get the supplies/basic meds.
St Bernard's Parish was told they could not get automobiles to replace their cop cars...the cars that were going to be delivered were stopped by authorities on some bridge and turned away. While our military had NO problem getting tanks/artillary and such to IRAQ..
They just could not seem to get a few Chevys delivered to St Bernards.


They also requested their helipad be used for supply delivery, only to be told it was not a safe delivery site. St Bernard's responded "Gee, really, it was safe enough when the Governor (and some other official) used it". In other words..if it was good enough for a fucking photo op, it is good enough for supplies to be delivered.


Central Command telling on the ground responders that there would be "no medicines available for chronic illnesses" and even if they got someone a prescription for their potassium pills, there were no pharmacies around to get it filled. But, yeah, tell the lady to keep taking her Lasix pills (NEVER mentioning to the responder that the Lasix could further drop the person's potassium levels and possibly KILL the person)


ALL this and more are buried somewhere (transcribed) here on the 'Net and in that newspaper's archives. It is almost three years since this regime-made disaster happened. Now would be a good time for someone with balls (guess that leaves out the MSM) to dig up the transcriptions.

[gratuitous]

4. Well, at least no oil was spilled

And George Bush doesn't hate black people, so stop saying that.

[riverwalker]

6. I asked the Red Cross

to explain why water was not distributed to those in the stadium. "Because we can't send our people in until it's safe". I said "if it was safe, it wouldn't be called a "disaster" would it? How can you only respond to a "safe" disaster? What the hell is a "safe disaster"? WTF :wtf:
and trust me....medical personnel all over this country were watching the case of this hospital staff being hung out to dry.

[Leftist Agitator]

7. Didn't this woman euthanize several elderly patients under her care?

Fuck her. There's a special place in hell for anyone who would murder the elderly. They should have been allowed to die a natural death. Who the fuck is she to decide who lives or dies?

She's a murderer, conviction or no.

[cobalt1999]

8. Bullshit.

She showed some compassion to suffering.

I'm glad you weren't my father's doctor in his last days of lung cancer.

[Leftist Agitator]

9. "She showed some compassion to suffering."

What you call "compassion", I call murder.

Again, who the FUCK is she to decide who lives and who dies, how and when?

What if one of those people had passionately wanted to live, but this woman decided that they were too much of a burden?

What if that had been a member of YOUR family?

And nice try, but we aren't talkng about terminal patients here.

[cobalt1999]

12. In this situation they were "terminal"

If it had been one of my family, I'd be glad they just weren't left to suffer needlessly.

[AnneD]

14. Check your facts before you post....

this attitude is what drives caring and knowledgeable people out of medicine. You are directing anger at the wrong person before you have all the facts (try the government that slowed response). This DA bringing up charges wanted a notch in his belt and thought he had an easy target. These charges and the events that lead up to it has effectively put a chill on medical folks coming in to work in disasters. You can't play armchair Doc and you can't guarantee every medical procedure. Their situation (and most of medicine) was not cut and dry. Medicine is part science, part art, and lots of practice.

I have nothing but admiration for the folks that stuck around in those conditions. The Nurses that I personally know that lived though it said they would never do it again and frankly after listening to their horror stories....as an RN-I wouldn't risk it either. People are to sue happy and quick to judge even your best efforts. Most of us didn't go into medicine to intentionally kill folks. And God bless those that tried to help folks and ease their pain and suffering in a hopeless situation. If I or my family were terminal and in those conditions-I would be grateful for any compassionate care that had to be given.

[MountainLaurel]

13. She didn't euthanize anyone

The charges (made by a "temp" physician who didn't work at Memorial) were proven to be false.

[midnight]

10. What ever happened to the emergency relief plan?

Who had it? Where did it go?

[spanone]

11. while mr bu$h* had his photo op flyover....34 died....and a whole lot more

[Disturbed]

15. Depraved Indifference is a Crime.

Busholini & his Regime are guilty of it.