Bernard was forced to wait hours in an ambulance in front of a hospital. This ... trends now
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A paramedic desperately banged on the windows of an ambulance to get help for a patient choking on his own vomit after the emergency vehicle was stuck waiting outside a hospital for almost two hours, an inquest has heard.
Paramedic Stacey White became emotional as she described feeling 'completely powerless' to help Bernard Anthony Skeffington, 89, as they waited for him to be admitted to Royal Adelaide Hospital on September 25, 2021.
'It was clear to us he required urgent assistance. He vomited out of both nostrils and his mouth,' she said.
'The colour suggested a faecal vomit, which is indication of a serious acute condition. There was a high risk Mr Skeffington might aspirate.'
'My main thought was to do everything I could to keep his airway open. I felt completely powerless.'
Bernard Anthony Skeffington, 89, began choking on his own vomit while waiting in an ambulance to be admitted to hospital
Mr Skeffington, who died four days later as a result of aspiration pneumonia secondary to small bowel obstruction, had already waited three hours and 42 minutes to be picked up by an ambulance after dialing triple-0.
Ms Evans told the Coroner's court previously three ambulances were sent
