None — Here is the full statement from Emory University/Emory Healthcare on the death of patient Brandon Harris:
On January 23rd, a patient at the Emory Sleep Center tragically died after going into cardiorespiratory arrest. The Sleep Center is an outpatient center located on the campus of Wesley Woods Hospital, although it is not in the hospital. The evening before, the patient had come to the Sleep Center for a sleep evaluation. During the sleep evaluation, technicians recorded the patients brain waves, heart rhythm, blood oxygen saturation, breathing effort, eye movements, body position and leg movements. Monitors send real-time information about the patients to nearby technicians, who watch the patients sleep while observing the data. An audio and video recording of the entire evening is made.
Neurocare, a Massachusetts-based company with sleep centers nationwide, recorded the evaluation. Since 2005, Emory has contracted with Neurocare to provide trained technicians, equipment, and management in the Sleep Center, and is currently working with Neurocare and the attorney for the patients family to arrange for Neurocare to share the recording with the familys attorney. Shortly after the patients death, the Neurocare administrator played the recording for the family, and Emory provided them with the patient's medical records. Though the quality of the recording is not optimal, and the recording must be transferred to a different format so that clinical data can be included and the audio can be enhanced, the existing recording viewed with the family does provide an on-screen running time of the evenings events. The following timeline is based on that running time; the times listed below correspond to an estimated start time of the evaluation. The times are rounded up or down to the nearest minute.
At approximately 11:15 pm on January 22nd, the patient went into the Sleep Center evaluation room for the beginning of the sleep evaluation. Approximately 4 ½ hours later, the patient woke up and at 4:15 am waved his left hand the first of four times. Around 4:23 am, a technician on duty asked the patient over the intercom if he needed anything. The patient replied that he needed to go to the restroom. Within a minute, the technician entered the room to assist him out of bed and remove some of the wires that connected him to the monitors. The patient was coughing, and the technician said he sounded congested and asked if this was normal for him. He replied that it was not unusual. The technician left the room, and the patient walked to the restroom on his own. The bathroom is located in the evaluation room and is equipped with an emergency cord for patients to pull in case they need immediate assistance. He did not use this cord or need assistance in the bathroom.
Approximately 5 minutes later, the patient walked out of the bathroom on his own and sat on the edge of the bed. The technician then returned to help the patient back into the bed. The technician asked if the patient wanted something to drink, and the patient said yes. The technician left and returned with a cup of water. The patients cough worsened, and at 4:31 am, he said that he could not catch his breath. The technician asked if he used an inhaler at home and the patient said yes, but that he did not bring it with him. The technician left the room. The patient said over the intercom he could not breathe and needed to stand up. At 4:34 am the technician returned with another technician and oxygen equipment. They administered oxygen to him through a nasal tube. At 4:35 am a third technician entered the room and encouraged the patient to breathe through his nose; the patient said he felt bad and held his chest. When asked what kind of inhaler he used, the patient said Albuterol. One technician left the room and returned with the medication. At 4:37 am the patient complained of his chest feeling heavy, and then took two puffs of Albuterol. At 4:38 am the patient complained that he could not catch his breath, and one technician said to call 911, and the call was placed. The patient said he felt like he was going to die.
Two technicians stayed with the patient, talking to him and trying to comfort him, until the DeKalb County Fire Rescue squad arrived. The patient was sitting on the edge of the bed, but around 4:48 am, the patient appeared to lose consciousness and fell backwards onto the bed. He then sat back up on the edge of the bed. At 4:49 am, he was unresponsive and at 4:51 am, the technicians lowered the patient to the floor. The emergency responders can be heard on the recording within a minute. After attempting resuscitation, the emergency responders transported him to the Emergency Department at Emory University Hospital, located about 1.5 miles away. At the hospital, the ER staff continued efforts to revive the patient until he was pronounced dead at 5:55 am.
Emory deeply regrets the loss of this patients life, and is committed to working with the family through its attorney to provide them with information. Emory will also continue to investigate this tragic occurrence. The Sleep Center has conducted over 15,000 sleep evaluations since the early 1990s, and this is the first incident of its kind.
Emory believes this account to be accurate; nevertheless, all facts included here will be revalidated to ensure accuracy.