A New Jersey hospital is under fire after records showed that an elderly woman, who suffered an acute stroke, waited more than six hours for critical care, New York radio station 1010 WINS reported on its Web site Monday.
Bessie Ferguson, who was 99-years-old at the time, suffered a stroke on June 13 during a routine evaluation. Her physician, Dr. Alexander Salerno, immediately called 911 and had her transferred to St. Michael’s Medical Center in Newark.
Hospital records obtained by 1010 WINS show Ferguson was first assessed in the emergency room within 45 minutes of her arrival. Her vitals hourly, but was left her sitting in a pool of her own urine for hours. She was finally admitted to the critical care unit just before 11 p.m., according to the radio station, according to the records.
"I don't know if she was ignored or not," her daughter Geraldine Robinson said. "We were looking around trying to find someone."
Ferguson never recovered and died a few weeks later.
A spokesman for the hospital said they believed they did everything they could for her.
“Based on the information we've looked at, we're confident that the appropriate protocols and procedures were followed regarding this patient,” spokesman Brendan Middleton said.
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