Understaffed!!!

Fumes

as reported in newspapers accross the United States on Sept. 29th, 1997

A judge in Riverside California has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Riverside General Hospital by an emergency room doctor felled by mysterious fumes emitted from a patient in the ED in 1994.

Claims by dostor Julie Gorchynski were ruled non applicable to the law suit that indicated that the hospital had poor ventilation and inadequate maintenence. It added that these factors contributed to the amonia like ordors that caused 22 emergency room workers to collapse while treating a dying cancer patient. The patient apparently experienced a toxic like poison in her blood stream and when nurses attempted to draw blood it crystalized in the syringes. The type of toxin has never been determined and the Riverside County Coronors Office has speculated that a chemical reaction occured and caused the patients body to emit the poisoness gas. Others suggest that sewer vapors entered the area through an uncapped drain.

Gorchynski was the most seriously injured of all the staff and remained hospitalized for nine days following the Feb. 19th. incident. After she collapsed, she remained in the ICU at Loma Linda where at times her breathing stopped. She experienced necrotic bones in her knees and an enlarged liver and pancreas. She is now working at another hospital.

The judge ruled that the hospital could not have forseen or prevented the incident or was the hospital grossly negligent. He added: "In fact the plain truth is that the circumstances surrounding the events may remain unknown."

Gorchynski said that she plans to appeal and added: "It's absurd, I don't agree with it and I am not going to sit down and take this."

Ronald Schwartz, the attorney for the patient siad he would also appeal. At pressent the only case they now have, is a routine medical Malpractice case, said Peter Osinoff, attorney for the hospital.

The incident itself caused a major hazardous materals scene to develope and the Riverside Fire Department had to evacute the hospital and contain the toxic fumes. The local EMS system was taxed with not only the tranport and treatment of the injured but all of the patients that had to be transfered as this internal disaster enveloped. The entire San Bernadino and Riverside County EMS and hospital networks were taxed.

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