ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Investigators say a man died at a VA hospital in Michigan after a nurse mistakenly believed he didn't want to be resuscitated in case of an emergency.
The death occurred late last year at the hospital in Ann Arbor. The man's name and age weren't disclosed in a report released Tuesday by the inspector general at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The man, who had surgery to bypass a blocked artery, complained about chest pain and nausea. A nurse left the room to get an electrocardiogram machine. When the nurse returned, the man was unresponsive with abnormal breathing.
The report says the nurse told staff that the man had a do-not-resuscitate order. That was a mistake. Investigators say it's unclear whether resuscitation efforts would have saved him.
