A second B.C. family has come forward to detail a lack of resources in Royal Columbian Hospital‘s obstetrics department which they say nearly cost their child her life.
Alex Patzer spoke out Wednesday, after hearing a nearly identical story to hers — one that proved tragic for the other family.
Earlier this week, Sarah Castell explained how her emergency C-section was delayed for more than an hour and a half this summer because both the obstetrician and anesthesiologist at the hospital were unable to break away from other surgeries.
Baby Isla was resuscitated after 17 minutes, but died nine days later.
Patzer, whose emergency C-section happened more than two years ago, doesn’t understand how “basically the exact same scenario” could have happened again.
“(My emergency C-section was) delayed by six hours because there were other traumas coming in that required the OR, and we were told that there was only one anesthesiologist,” she said.
Her child Nora was also born without a heartbeat, and was revived after 16 minutes.
Despite early fears of complications, after a stay in the neonatal intensive care unit she recovered and is now developing well.
But Patzer said she and her husband were given assurances the situation wouldn’t happen again.
“(The head of obstetrics) came into our room in maternity and expressed his condolences basically for what happened and said that it was agreed that it was needless, that it was inexcusable that there was not another anesthesiologist on call and that there was a six hour delay,” she said.
“He said that everything would be taken to review and that he reassured us that everything was being taken very seriously.”
The doctor gave the family his personal cellphone number to follow up, but Patzer said they never got a call back when they tried.
On Wednesday, Castell said learning of such a similar case to her own was infuriating.
“When someone senior in a health authority tells you they’re going to fix it, why should you doubt it? Do we now have to question everything that we’re told? Where does it stop?” she asked.
“I would like to know who is going to hold them accountable. Do I have to keep on at them? Does Alex have to keep on at them?”
Castell said while the doctor who was working the night of her tragedy has apologized, no one from Fraser Health has ever reached out to the family.
She won’t be satisfied until the hospital has a second anesthesiologist on shift full time, she added.
In a statement, Fraser Health said it is “actively recruiting” for “dedicated 24/7 obstetrical anesthesia coverage” for Royal Columbian Hospital.
“Hopefully it is true and hopefully they are recruiting somebody because I don’t think that anybody needs to go through this again,” Patzer said.
“Nobody needs to experience this. It’s just completely unnecessary and senseless.
Despite her concerns with Fraser Health, Castell and her husband remain committed to raising money for the NICU that tried its best to save baby Isla.
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