Monday, May 9, 2011

** Missouri EMS brass investigating after ambulance crew oblivious patient died en route to hospital

** Former paramedic/military nurse acquitted on patient murder charges, now working for Texas EMS service

UNITED STATES NEWS

** EMS brass in Kansas City, Missouri are investigating a January 19th incident in which an interfacility transfer patient died without the attending ambulance crew realizing it. The Kansas City Star (Christine Vendel/Lynn Horsley/May 5) said the investigation into the death of Frank M. Nigro Jr., 52, apparently played out with the corpse being gray and cold upon arrival at hospital. According to the newspaper, the EMS crew remained unaware of Nigro’s fate until attempting to offload him;he was not hooked up to any machines en route. The ambulance transport, however, did take one hour because of a snowstorm.

** A former Texas paramedic and military nurse, acquitted of giving morphine overdoses to terminally ill patients, has resumed his EMS job. That is the word from the American-Statesman (Tony Plohetski/May 5) which said Michael Fontana was rehired by Austin-Travis County EMS under a federal law mandating it for personnel who leave to undertake military duties. Training with the service since March, Fontana will still require the medical director’s permission to begin treating patients. Fontana was charged in 2009 with murder in connection with the deaths of several patients at Lackland Air Force Base’s Wilford Hall Medical Center.