Mineo: Dead after being discharged from hospital. The woman was pregnant, an inquiry has been opened

Live Sicilia - The woman is Teksa Abraha, she was in her fourth month of pregnancy. Of Eritrean origin, she was staying with her husband in the Mineo Cara (Hosting Centre for Asylum Seekers). She fell ill two days ago. A 28 year old Eritrean, Teksa Abraha, who was four months' pregnant, died yesterday evening after being discharged from hospital in Catania. The women was a resident in the Mineo Cara, where she had been staying with her husband since August 2012. Francesco Paolo Giordano, the Public Prosecutor, has opened an inquiry into the affair although there are no main suspects and the autopsy is as yet unavailable.

From what has been understood from various sources, the woman began feeling ill two days ago and was taken to hospital in Caltagirone by ambulance, where she was diagnosed as having heart problems. For this reason, she was transferred to the Ferrarotto Hospital in Catania, where it was discovered that she was suffering from an aneurism of the aorta. Given that she was pregnant, the medical team asked permission to give her a Tac. The following day she was discharged. Yesterday evening, the woman once again felt ill and was quickly taken back to hospital in Caltagirone. She was dead on arrival. The Public Prosecutor is demanding greater clarification of the events leading to the woman's death, her medical notes have been taken and an autopsy will be performed. An inquiry into the death has been opened.

The woman was not given the Angiotac in Caltagirone due to the fact that she was pregnant and whilst in hospital, she was asymptomatic and results of blood tests and echocardiographic trans-esophageal excluded the possibility of aortic dissection. She was instead referred to the Coronary Intensive Therapy Department in the Catania hospital, Ferrarotto. The hospital maintain that the patient arrived at Ferrarotto at 23h30 on the 5 January, "she was asympotamic for toracoalgie and was placed under the charge of the medical team on shift to have a trans-thoracic and a trans-esophageal echocardiographic performed, an examination which excludes echocardiographic signs which can be attributed to aortic dissection. Even though the patient was asymptomatic  and the diagnostic tests for aortic dissection were all negative, the doctor, nonetheless, decided to keep her in the Coronary Intensive Therapy unit for observation and further tests." In a stable condition and without showing signs of any symptoms, the medical team decided to discharge the patient in order to not put her unborn baby at further risk from radiation which is used in intensive therapy. When discharged she was informed it was necessary to have regular echocardiographic check ups. "The patient," underline the spokesperson for the Ferrarotto, "left hospital at 16h00 in good hemodynamic condition, completely asymptomatic and without the need of a stretcher."

                                                                   

"In our opinion, Teksa died due to a lack of general care and attention by the doctors," stated Chaui Muhur, the 30 year old husband of the 28 year old Eritrean who was staying in the Hosting Centre for Asylum Seekers in Mineo. "Teksa," said the man who arrive in Sicily last August, "felt ill and we took her to hospital. After being discharged she once again felt ill. We called an ambulance to take her back to hospital but quarter of an hour later she was dead." (Ansa News Agency)