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CNN Live Event/Special

After the Storm: Houston Hospital Officials Address Deaths Following Power Loss

Aired June 13, 2001 - 11:10   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We want to go back now to Houston, Texas to Hermann Hospital. We talked about this moments ago. But hospital officials are addressing the issue of the death of some patients due to the power that was cut because of the storm -- Tropical Storm Allison -- that knocked out power in Houston days ago.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

UNIDENTIFIED DOCTOR: ... we realize there's a problem, then we may make sure there are people available. So that was not an issue. And we've checked with all the units, because at the time -- at any one time -- and, of course, it's hard for me to know how many patients are on mechanical ventilation at the given moment.

But we average an average daily ventilator census of around 60, 65 patients. So there were people available to hand-ventilate these patients. And as soon as we realized that this might go on for a little bit longer than a couple of minutes, then we had people come in and just stationed so that there would be people who were rested. And we were able to keep that up until either we were able to transfer the patients out -- until we were able to transfer the patients out.

(CROSSTALK)

JAMES EASTHAM, CEO, MEMORIAL HERMANN HOSPITAL: And let me clarify on that, too, because it's a good question. All patients who needed ventilation were hand-ventilated.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

EASTHAM: Immediately.

QUESTION: How many were there at that time...

QUESTION: Do you any idea how many people had to be hand...

EASTHAM: Well, we don't have an exact count. But as Doctor Allen (ph) said, there's -- at any given time, there's, what, 40 to 60 -- 60 or so.

UNIDENTIFIED DOCTOR: Sixty to 65 patients throughout the hospital.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: How many ICU patients were there at this time. And how many personnel were on the floor to take care of them? And what's the usual ratio, say, of nurses to ICU patients?

UNIDENTIFIED DOCTOR: Well, the total number of patients in the ICU at that time, I don't have the exact number. We have around 145 critical care beds in the institution. How many of those had a patient in them who was on a ventilator at that time, as I say, I don't have that exact number.

I'm trying to give you what a typical volume is. And we've been running high. But that's about right. The average assignment of nurses in our ICU is about one nurse to every two patients, but doesn't include all the other people who are in the unit to help out. And who can hand-ventilate? We have the respiratory therapist. We have the health care techs. We have a number of other people. We also have house staff, physicians who are in training, graduated from medical school, who are also available to pitch in there.

So that was -- when I talk to each of those units, having enough people to hand-ventilate and care for the patients wasn't an issue.

(CROSSTALK)

EASTHAM: She's got a question.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: ... die while they were being hand-ventilated or did they die when they were being transferred out of the hospital?

EASTHAM: None died -- none of these four died while they were being transferred out of the hospital. They all died in the hospital. Two had previously died Friday evening before the storm. And if this would be a good time, let me tell you, we went back and checked our logs from January of this year until the weekend of the flood.

On the average -- because of the critical level of patients we deal with -- we have, on the average, patients who die on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday -- this same timeframe -- we have about nine patients. This is a highly-acute medical center, a level-one trauma center. And these deaths aren't unexpected. We have about nine who die. The lowest we've had is six. And the highest we've had is 13 during a similar period.

We had two before the flood and four during this power outage -- three adults and one infant. Three of those patients were transferred in from other hospitals to receive a higher level of care that we have. And one was a direct admit.

(CROSSTALK)

EASTHAM: Let's get to Wayne (ph).

(CROSSTALK) QUESTION: ... whether or not these folks were being ventilated by hand when they died? I don't think you answered that. And second, it's been four days. Why don't we know how long before the time of death after the power went out? Why don't we know that yet? I'm looking for the information as to how long after the power went out these patients died. Was it an hour? Was it six hours? Was it 10?

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Do you have the time of death for any -- for all four?

EASTHAM: Yes, actually, I do. One died at 3:15 in the morning. One died at 6:00 a.m..

QUESTION: Wait, 3:15 what morning?

EASTHAM: Saturday morning.

QUESTION: Saturday.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

QUESTION: Can you do it in the same order that you did when you talked about them, one, two, three, four? That would be great.

UNIDENTIFIED DOCTOR: Right.

QUESTION: Can we have names, Dr. Allen? (OFF-MIKE)

EASTHAM: Well, we don't really want to get into specific individuals and things like that. We don't do that on a normal basis. And we wouldn't do that here. But we would be happy to talk about the cases and the situation. So let's let Dr. Allen talk about -- in the same order he talked about, we'll give you the time of death on each of those individuals.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: .. a matter of public record.

EASTHAM: Well, then, that's fine. You can obtain it that way.

QUESTION: Doctor, could you at least identify them by age and gender?

EASTHAM: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED DOCTOR: Certainly.

As I was going to answer in the order: The first 63-year-old man, had the severe head injury, died at 3:15 in the morning -- Saturday morning. The 72-year-old man with in-stage pulmonary problems died at 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning. The 88-year-old man, who had a massive infection, died at 3:55 in the afternoon on Saturday. And then the baby died at 4:30 in the afternoon on Saturday. HARRIS: All right, we have been listening here to these doctors and officials there at Hermann Hospital in Houston Texas, who are describing the difficulties they had there at the hospital, as Tropical Storm Allison struck Houston and deluged that city with over a yard or three feet of rain or so in a couple of days. And power was knocked out to the hospital there.

And, as a result, some respirators that had been keeping people alive in the ICU unit there actually died. We understand that four died. A 63-year-old man, a 72-year-old man, an 88-year-old man and a baby there died at this trauma center, which is a hospital that takes acute cases.

And, as we said, this happened on Saturday. We understand also hearing from the doctors that the ventilators, the respirators were not working because the power went out, but the patients were being treated by nurses and they were hand-ventilating these patients. But they did not survive.

We will continue to monitor that story as it develops.

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