A teenage girl has spent nine hours on the floor of an emergency department, suffering from excruciatingly painful appendicitis.
17-year-old Demi Allul was left untreated and in agonising pain as she slept on the floor of Campbelltown Hospital, in Sydney’s south-west.
The incident occurred on Monday when Demi and her mum, Julie, arrived at the emergency department with a doctor’s note explaining that she was suffering from suspected appendicitis, and would need urgent medical attention.
She was attended to by a triage nurse in the waiting room, but no bed was assigned, leaving Demi to sleep on the floor of the emergency department with only a hospital blanket to keep her warm.
After nine hours, Julie decided that she’d had enough and took her daughter home so that she could sleep in a proper bed.
The pair returned to the hospital the next day where, after presenting a photograph of Demi sleeping on the floor the previous night, Demi was admitted within ten minutes. She was immediately given morphine for her extreme pain.
Demi will now have to wait over two weeks for treatment, because of the delay in her initial diagnosis. She will remain in hospital during this time, taking antibiotics to assist with the inflammation. Campbelltown Hospital has since apologised to Demi and her family.
Top Comments
Last year, I had temperature between 39C-40C for week.
Firstly, when I arrived in Sutherland Hospital, there wasn't bed for me, so whole night with drip in my hand and fever, I spent in chair.You can just imagine pain in whole body from high temperature.Than in morning they move me in room with 4 beds and no window, no tv or toilet in room-for 7 days.It was terrible!Doctor missed vein for drip so my hand swollen painfully, nurse was lazy to change sheets with blood stains, so I have to argue for clean bed to sleep in.Across of my "temporary" hospital room, there was proper patients rooms with empty beds.But they said I don't belong to that part of hospital department. My concerns and request for CT scan of my abdominal was ignored-just to have 3 months later urgently surgery for swollen kidney blocked by huge stone! And to remove stone, they need 3 surgery in next 3 months-yes, they even suggested for one more-but I said ENOUGH! Oh yeas, and I was admitted in that department with normal rooms, I belong there from first visit it turned out that way..Now I have everyday pain in my kidneys, and PTS Syndrome from hospitals and "good" doctors!
My husband worked in ED for 30 years the main problem too much bureaucracy too top heavy. We need less managerial positions and more people on the front lines maybe that's the way to go.