By Michael W. Wong, JD (Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety)
“I’ll do what I can”
I said to Cindy Abbiehl and her husband, Brian, “I’ll do what I can” after hearing that their daughter Amanda had died from opioid-induced respiratory depression.
Now, I realize that in social encounters, we often say things that we eventually do not follow through with. After all, we often say things like “we should do coffee one day” but don’t schedule time for coffee or “we should stay in touch” but don’t phone, email, or text to keep in touch.
However, what happened to Amanda was so seared in my mind that I said, “I’ll do what I can” and now more than 13 years later, I am doing what I can – the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety is a testament to do.
I’ve been doing what I can for so long that I was honored to be the only lawyer and patient safety advocate to be invited to speak at the recent NIH-sponsored conference that took place at The Ohio State University “Improving Definitions and Innovations for Identification and Prevention of Post-Operative Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression (OIRD)”.
Here are the stories about patients that have inspired me these last thirteen plus years to do what I can. Hopefully, they may inspire you to “Do What You Can”.
Amanda’s Story – “I’ll do what I can”
I was invited by the University of Notre Dame to speak to students about the recent and tragic death of 18-year-old Amanda. Amanda tragically died in 2010 at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center (SJRMC). Admitted to SJRMC with “severe strep throat”, Amanda was put on the patient-controlled analgesia pump to manage her pain. The next morning she was found unresponsive.
To listen to what happened to Amanda in this interview with Brian and Cindy, please click here and for entire interview with Brian and Cindy, please click here.
However, tragically, around the time that I heard Amanda’s story, I also heard from three other mothers – all of them had children who had died from opioid-induced respiratory depression while under the care of a physician.
Leah’s Story – “I’ll do what I can”
11-yr old Leah Coufal had undergone surgery for pectus carinatum (a common condition in which the breastbone and ribs are pushed outward). Leah had been administered epidural anesthesia, fentanyl to manage her pain, and Ativan for anxiety.
Her mother, Lenore Alexander, had fallen asleep in Leah’s hospital bed and woke up to find Leah dead-in-bed.
Leah’s mother wrote this article urging clinicians to monitor all of their patients who had been administered an opioid or other analgesic.
Please watch this video to hear Lenore tell us what happened to Leah.
Logan’s Story – “I’ll do what I can”
17-year-old Logan Parker was recovering in his livingroom after being discharged from an ambulatory surgical center. He had surgery for sleep apnea.
Logan’s mother, Pamela, who is a recovery room nurse and a certified ambulatory perianesthesia (CAPA) nurse, was unable to resuscitate her own son from opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD). To listen to Pamela’s podcast where she recommends actions clinicians should take to prevent such deaths, please click here.
Tyler’s Story – “I’ll do what I can”
18-year-old Tyler Ireland was recovering from surgery for his collapsed lung. In the evening, his hospital roommate couldn’t sleep because Tyler was snoring so loudly. The nurse moved his roommate to another room, but didn’t check on why Tyler was snoring so loudly.
Tyler’s mother, Victoria, tells us his story in this video.
Do What You Can – “I’ll do what I can”
Over the years, I have done what I can. The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety started off as a simple one-page blogging site. We now have more than 900 blog articles and PPAHS is now an internationally ranked top-100 patient safety organization offering continuing medical education courses, healthcare accreditation, and checklists and recommendations to improve patient safety and the quality of patient care.
I challenge you to do what you can. Get involved with patient safety!