COVID-19 Patient Dies After Ventilator Tube Gets Disconnected, No One Noticed

KEY POINTS

The 58-year-old patient died in a hospital in Israel Friday after she allegedly disconnected her breathing tube on her own
Her arms had been tied in the past, but they were free when the incident occurred
The hospital launched an investigation into the death and promised to pass its findings to Israel's health ministry

A 58-year-old hospital patient in Israel died last week after her breathing machine was disconnected without anyone noticing.

The woman, identified as Bat-Sheva Halfon, died at Laniado Hospital — also known as Sanz Medical Center — in the city of Netanya, Israel, Friday, The Jerusalem Post reported, citing Hebrew media sources.

A lung infection had forced Halfon to spend a month and a half in the hospital, where she caught COVID-19.

It was unclear if Halfon was vaccinated or if she had other medical conditions. The cause of her death was also not revealed.

Nir Machlouf, Halfon's nephew, claimed he was told by a doctor that the deceased patient may have disconnected her ventilator tube on her own and was not able to reconnect it.

Intubated patients are reportedly supposed to be under strict supervision in order to prevent cases such as these, with doctors sometimes tying the hands of patients in order to prevent them from accidentally disconnecting their breathing tubes.

Halfon's arms had been tied in the past, but they were not when the incident occurred.

An investigation into Halfon’s death is ongoing, according to Laniado Hospital.

The hospital, which has since passed its condolences to Halfon's family, said it will relay its findings to Israel's Ministry of Health (MOH).

Serious hospitalized COVID-19 cases in Israel reached 1,235 Monday, down 19 cases from the previous day, newspaper Haaretz reported, citing data provided by the MOH. Around 377 of the cases were in critical condition, while 293 were on ventilators.

Some hospitals reportedly experienced heavy pressure due to the number of cases.

"[Laniado Hospital] has been coping with a large number of patients throughout the fifth wave. Just recently 13 patients waited for hours in the emergency room until they were moved to the COVID ward," the hospital said.

"The hospital staff, along with all of the medical and nursing teams in the country, is doing all it can to give the best possible care in these difficult times," it added.

Israel, which was once praised for its COVID-19 vaccine rollout, has reported a total of 3,213,839 coronavirus cases and 9,180 deaths thus far, according to data from the World Health Organization.