COVID-19 Patient Moved To Another Hospital After Judge Rules To Keep Him On Ventilator

A COVID-19 patient from Minnesota, who has been battling a severe infection for months now, has been moved to another hospital in Texas after a judge ruled to keep him alive on the ventilator. The court issued a restraining order after the man's wife filed a lawsuit against his first hospital, which decided to take him off life support.

Scott Quiner, a 55-year-old unvaccinated man from Buffalo, was diagnosed with COVID-19 in late October 2021. He was put on a ventilator at Mercy Hospital in Minnesota on Nov. 6 and has been on life support since then. After more than two months on the ventilator, Scott's doctors decided to disconnect him from the machine on Jan. 13, court records said, as per Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

However, Anne Quiner, the patient's wife, opposed the hospital's decision and asked the doctors to try other treatments and drugs. Anne also filed a lawsuit to stop them from turning off the ventilator, saying the action would end her husband's life and she needed more time to find a new facility for his care.

"I am in the process of finding a new facility to provide care for my husband but need more time," Anne said at that time, according to the affidavit.

A judge at Anoka County district granted a restraining order last week to keep Scott on the ventilator and scheduled another hearing for Feb. 11.

Scott was "transported to a health care facility of the family's choice" Saturday, Allina Health, which operates Mercy Hospital, noted in a statement cited by CBS Local.

"Allina Health is grateful the family was able to find a health care facility that meets their needs and we continue to wish them all the best," the hospital's spokesperson reportedly said.

After getting admitted to his new facility in Texas, Scott was determined to be "severely malnourished." He has since been receiving nutrition and hydration, according to reports.

The family expects his condition to improve as he has been administered "other medications that his wife had requested and Mercy Hospital refused to administer," the family's attorney explained.

"And as he gets better and better, we are going to see that you know what, there are protocols that should be used that hospitals have not been using," the attorney also added.