The Kansas Board of Emergency Medical Services has cited seven Wichita-area emergency responders for unprofessional conduct, failing to provide adequate care and failing to follow protocol, reports The Wichita Eagle.
The board said the employees "demonstrated a lack of ability, knowledge or fitness to perform patient care according to applicable medical protocols." The board has proposed the seven face disciplinary measures for failing to take a 2019 suicide victim to a nearby hospital, despite the patient's pulse and labored breathing.
The man had shot himself in the head and was left on the floor of his apartment for five hours with emergency responders present, at times "moaning loudly," according to the Kansas EMS Board Summary Proceeding Order. After five hours, the patient was covered with a white sheet and taken to hospice. He died at hospice, more than 10 hours and 39 minutes after EMS received the 911 call.
If a patient is breathing or has a heartbeat, EMS protocol is to take the person to an emergency room.
Three county paramedics and four city fire personnel could be suspended, fined or have their licenses revoked by the EMS board. They have filed an appeal and remain employed, officials confirmed. The EMS board would not comment, citing an open investigation.
The state board is also calling for an investigation of Sedgwick County EMS Medical Director John Gallagher, MD, over the handling of the 2019 call, according to records cited by the Eagle. Dr. Gallagher decided the suicide victim was "unsalvageable," according to the EMS Board summary proceeding order. The full report has not yet been released.
Two months after the call, Sedgwick County consolidated its EMS services and the medical director's office, tapping Dr. Gallagher to be the county's top EMS official.
Dr. Gallagher declined comment when contacted by the Eagle last week.
A review by the Sedgwick County Medical Society found EMS handled the situation properly. Sedgwick County spokesperson Kate Flavin said in a March 22 news release that county officials believe "competent and appropriate care was provided to this patient."