A pensioner twice turned off a patient’s ventilator at a hospital in Germany because of the device’s annoying noise.
Hatun C., 72, was “disturbed” by the machine that was providing her roommate with oxygen.
In a press release jointly released by the Mannheim public prosecutor’s office and the Mannheim police, authorities claimed that the woman switched off her respirator mask before 8 p.m. on a November night.
“Although the suspect was advised by hospital staff that oxygenation was a vital measure, she reportedly turned the device back off around 9 p.m.,” the note said.
Doctors tried to revive the 79yearold patient, who died as a result of lack of oxygen.
According to the Chron, Hatun C.’s son has already spoken to German media and said that the mother “couldn’t close her eyes there because the bed neighbor’s oxygen machine was making a very loud noise, like a tractor”.
“She was exhausted and on medication. But she didn’t want to hurt the woman. It was an act of desperation,” he added.
Hatun C. was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, and since then her son has feared “that she will die there.” He claims the mother “had no idea what she was doing.”
“My mother can neither read nor write, she only understands Turkish, how should she understand this ad from the German nurse?” he asked. “Besides, she knows nothing about machines. Otherwise she would never have done such a thing.”
Hatun C.’s son also argued that the mother should have moved to another room and the family should have been informed about the situation immediately because “this incident never happened”.
He further apologized for his mother’s actions: “I would like to apologize for all the suffering my mother has caused the family of the 79yearold patient. My own mother fell victim to these unbearable circumstances in the clinic.”
According to him, Hatun C. “deeply regrets everything and asks for forgiveness”.
In response, the deceased’s daughter said, “That woman probably killed my mother. I can’t forgive her for that.”
The investigations are ongoing.
*Internship at R7under the direction of Pablo Marques