Young man dies in Upa de BH, and family sees negligence: ‘Screaming like that, it’s not pain’

The causes of death of Mariane Silva Torres, aged 26, at the Centro-Sul Emergency Care Unit (Upa), in Belo Horizonte, are being investigated by the Civil Police. The patient died in the unit, this Tuesday (April 23), after suffering a cardiorespiratory arrest. The family denounces medical negligence, while the city hall claims that all necessary assistance was offered.

João Coelho, 25 years old, was Mariane’s boyfriend and says he was working in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte when he received a call from his partner. “When I left the apartment, she was fine. She had woken up calm, happy and had breakfast normally. However, at lunch time she called me saying that she was going to Upa, as she felt pain and numbness in her leg”.

The companion advised Mariane to ask the building manager for help, since, at that moment, he could not accompany her. With the help of her acquaintances, the woman went to the health unit. “I arrived at Upa at around 2:30 pm. Mariane couldn’t walk because of so much pain. They put her in a wheelchair, and she screamed for help. She went through the screening and received the green bracelet, the one with a low risk classification,” she recalls.

While waiting for the doctor’s appointment, Mariane, according to her boyfriend, continued to complain about the pain. “She asked me to lay her down on the floor, as she wanted to see if the pain would ease. Everything is recorded on Upa’s cameras. The negligence is registered.” Given the pain reported by the patient and because of the delay, João sought out the nurse who attended to her during the triage.

“I went to her and asked: ‘Where’s the doctor, lady?’. At that moment, she turned to me and said: ‘Whoever is screaming like that is not in pain’. More than an hour to be seen and we still had to hear it. The nurse thought that everything Mariane felt was an act. I don’t know what went through the health professional’s mind to say that,” she says.

Diagnosis

Mariane was seen by a doctor who initially diagnosed her with an anxiety attack. “The doctor asked what she felt and did a test with a pen on my girlfriend’s foot. She noticed that the patient could not feel anything on one side. Seeing all the despair, the doctor said it was anxiety and that it would get better after taking two medications.

Even after taking all the prescribed medication, the patient continued to feel pain. The partner claims that she went back to the doctor, but was unable to have her partner evaluated by the professional. “She said that my girlfriend was no longer her patient, but that of another professional. This started a game of pushing between them all. Nobody wanted to take over the situation.”

The patient continued crying and screaming in pain, according to her companion. “Total neglect and she was always complaining. The other patients and companions were moved by the story. There was a point when Mariane turned to me and said: ‘Love, it hurts so much’. Shortly after that, she locked her fists, as if she were having a seizure, and suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest. I went into despair.”

Mariane was taken to the emergency room and, after a while, João and a family member of the patient were called by the medical team. “We were informed that she died and that it could be due to thrombosis that resulted in pulmonary embolism. This is the suspicion, but the results are not yet out. My girlfriend was in agony from 1pm until 6pm.”

The family says they will “fight for justice”. “What happened to Mariane could happen to another patient. It can’t stay like this. Mariane was the most incredible girl I knew, very courageous, beautiful, had a pure heart, very loved by everyone. She had her whole life ahead of her, so many plans. I love her so much. I wish everything was a lie,” he said emotionally.

What PBH says

When contacted by the report, PBH clarified that Mariane was admitted to Upa at 1:30 pm complaining of pain in her chest and legs. “She underwent risk classification at 1:32 pm and, at around 2:50 pm, she was medicated,” she said. While waiting to be re-evaluated by the team, the user suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest and was taken to the emergency room.

“Despite all the efforts and resuscitation maneuvers carried out by Upa professionals for more than an hour, she did not resist resuscitation attempts,” stated PBH in an excerpt from the statement.

The municipal Executive highlighted that Upa Centro-Sul had a full team: 11 doctors, six nurses and 20 nursing technicians. “The Municipal Health Department is available for all necessary clarifications”, he pointed out.

Investigation

Forensic examinations were carried out on the victim’s body to help the Civil Police identify the causes of death. The examinations took place at the Instituto Médico-Legal Dr. Andrés Roquette and, subsequently, the body was released to the family. “PCMG awaits the conclusion of other expert reports and investigates the causes and circumstances of death.” Mariane’s body was buried in Coronel Murta, in the Jequitinhonha Valley.