Mom Dies After Waiting In Hospital For 7 Hours Without Care

A mother of three died at a Nova Scotia hospital after waiting for medical help in the emergency room for nearly seven hours on New Year's Eve — her widowed husband is now reportedly demanding answers.

Gunter Holthoff recalled how he had to watch his wife, Allison Holthoff, 37, suffer in pain at the Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre (CRHCC) on New Year's Eve, waiting for care "to a point where they couldn't ignore us anymore."

According to Gunter, Allison woke up on Dec. 31 complaining of an upset stomach. Allison took a bath, hoping that would ease her pain. However, Gunter said that about 10 minutes later, his children called, saying, "Mommy needed help."

"She was lying on the floor in the hallway, she had laid down in pain," Gunter said. He drove Allison to the Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre in Amherst, arriving there shortly after 11:00 a.m. and carrying her into the building on his back because she was unable to walk, the New York Post reported.

He said she was struggling to sit up because of the excruciating pain. "I did tell the triage nurse and the lady behind the desk that it was getting worse," he said. "She wasn't doing good and was in pain."

Hospital staff took samples of Allison's blood and urine, which her husband said proved difficult because she was in so much pain by then.

Allison was instructed to sit in the waiting room, but her condition worsened to the point that she had to lie on the floor in a fetal position. As they waited for a doctor to see Allison, security guards brought some blankets to cover her and a cup of water. "She said, 'I think I'm dying. Don't let me die here,'" he said Monday. Gunter said that other patients in the waiting room also alerted staff of his wife's deteriorating condition.

At 3:00 p.m., they were finally led into an exam room, where more blood samples were taken from the patient. Gunter went to the nursing desk five times, telling medical staff his wife was feeling worse. He said one of the nurses asked him if Allison was "always like this."

Allison's eyes then started rolling back in her head, which led to the nurse inquiring if the married mom was on drugs, to which Gunter said, "No."

Gunter said Allison continued saying she felt like she was dying. "'I feel like I'm dying. They're going to let me die here,'" Gunter recalled her saying.

At around 5:30 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. — about seven hours after the couple arrived at the hospital, Allison began screaming in pain and asking for help. A new nurse came to their room to check her temperature, blood pressure, and oxygen once again, according to CTV News.

Gunter said that at that time, Allison's pulse was reading around 100, and her blood pressure was between 40 and 60.

When a doctor saw Allison, she was given two liters of IV fluids and something for her pain. She then had an EKG done and was prepped and taken to the X-ray room. During her X-ray, Gunter left the room for a few minutes for a short break. When he returned, his wife was screaming in pain, "I can't breathe. I'm in pain, don't move me, I'm in pain."

Gunter said Allison's eyes started rolling back in her head again, and a "Code Blue," which informs medical staff of a cardiac arrest, was called over the PA system. The room she was in quickly filled with medical staff.

Gunter was told his wife was resuscitated three times. At this point, he was still hoping to take her home in a few days. However, he was told there wasn't much hope for his wife. The call was made not to pursue surgery.

He said a doctor did tell him that the CT scan showed internal bleeding. But they were unable to determine the exact cause of the bleeding.

Allison was officially pronounced dead around 11:30 p.m. — around 12 hours after she set foot inside the emergency room.

More than a week later, Gunter said he still does not know the cause of his wife's death because her autopsy report has not been released.

"Unfortunately, I do feel like she was neglected, and it was to a point where they couldn't ignore us anymore. It was a terrible situation for my wife, for my kids, and a lot of people in the community. I'm just lost."

The Department of Health and Wellness said Monday that Nova Scotia Health Authority launched an investigation to determine what happened in Allison's case.

"We need change, the system is obviously broken. Or if it's not broken yet, it's not too far off," Gunter said. "Something needs to improve. I don't want anybody else to go through this."