Today at Genetics and Health, I’ve got an interview with ER nurse Kim McAllister of Emergiblog. In the interview, we talked about Beatrice Vance, the woman who died of a heart attack while waiting in her local hospital’s emergency room. Come take a look to see what Kim thinks of the tragic situation.

Beatrice Vance of Waukegan, IL arrived at the emergency room of Vista Medical Center East at 10:15 pm on July 28 complaining of chest pains. After sitting in the waiting room for more than two hours, she was found unconscious and without a pulse. At 2 a.m., she was pronounced dead of a heart attack because of a blocked artery.
Deputy Coroner Robert Barrett said Beatrice Vance’s symptoms should have alerted hospital personnel to administer an electrocardiogram, conduct cardiac monitoring, and administer blood thinners and other medications. None of this was done in time. The coroner’s jury ruled Ms. Vance’s …read more