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November 20, 2009
Obese man dies after refusing zoo X-ray
Published: 3 Nov 09 10:43 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20091103-22993.html
An obese man is dead after he refused to have an X-ray taken in a machine for zoo animals because he was too large for one at a Hamburg hospital, daily Bild reported on Tuesday.
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The 51-year-old patient was at the hospital for 10 hours, but because he couldn’t fit into the hospital’s X-ray machine, doctors there recommended that he go to the nearby Hagenbeck animal park, which has a much larger machine.
“It sounded as if they wanted to mock us,” his wife Petra Lessmann told the paper.
His hospital discharge summary reportedly read: “Imaging not feasible here due to body weight, please arrange as an outpatient, for example at Hagenbeck.”
But Lessmann felt too humiliated to go to the zoo and died of unknown causes 13 days later.
“We regret the unclear instruction ‘at Hagenbeck’,” UKE spokesperson Christine Jähn told Bild. “We understand that it’s irritating for patients and relatives when they are referred to veterinary facilities.”
While all patients have a right to medical care, the maximum capacity of most hospital machines is around 200 kilo, Jähn explained.
The Local (news@thelocal.de)
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Your comments about this article:
Maybe if the guy felt humiliated, say 15 years ago, he might have been motivated to do something about it at that point. "Suddenly" realizing that you have 'a bit of a weight problem' at 230 kg is, apparently, too late. Your alarm should probably go off around 115 kg (275 lbs).
That's a sad situation, but it didn't happen over night.
Haha, lol.
I find incredible how some feels "insulted" when *they* do not fit in standard measures or roles. That old man had it coming.
The doctors are also at fault. It has been years since Siemens introduced AXIOM LUMINOUS TF XRAY machine, especially designed for obese people! Why did not the doctors know about where this machine is? perhaps some other hospital had it! Siemens would know!!!
giving up is so easy!
heres the link for the x-ray machine:
http://www.medical.siemens.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catTree=12784,12753&catalogId=-1&langId=-1&productId=168440&storeId=10001
German medical personnel....lack a Doctor House-type mentality and the ability to size up a bad situation. This guy had something wrong....and they should have made him realize it.
for all the haters: i think u gotta get in his shoes and feel the situation!
thanks for mprulez for the research!
that's not true, it's only a medical condition if you are lacking certain hormones that indicate your actual hunger level. But then again, who gobbles up their whole refrigerator and later blames it on their hormone-deficiency? We are not pigs, we should be able to stop eating using common sense.
and as for the guy, i feel for him and his wife but who is to blame?
The doctors are also at fault. It has been years since Siemens introduced AXIOM LUMINOUS TF XRAY machine, especially designed for obese people! Why did not the doctors know about where this machine is? perhaps some other hospital had it! Siemens would know!!!
giving up is so easy!
heres the link for the x-ray machine:
http://www.medical.siemens.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catTree=12784,12753&catalogId=-1&langId=-1&productId=168440&storeId=10001
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2449356,00.html
"rates of obesity and overweight in Germany now match those in the United States."
OK, so this was a couple of years ago, but do you think the Germans have got any slimmer?
In that case I don't want my health insurance money spent on treatment for any smoking related diseases - they should know that they might get cancer or lung disease or whatever - that's their problem - or for alcohol related diseases - it was their fault they smoked - or skiing accidents - nobody made them ski - or any sports-related injury at all - they don't have to do sports after all - or...
"
The machine is for everyone. The only difference is that it can bear heavy weights.
For those people here who say that he should not have been embarassed: situational context is different from past behavior.
Alot of money goes to make people better after they have made poor decisions with their lives. It's probably good we don't get to choose.
On another note, I have a man in my family who is stick thin, looks great but has had 3 open heart surgeries all because he eats like crap and stuffs his arteries until he has a HA. Then I had an obese grandma who lived to age 96 with minimal medical care. So you can't always tell by looking....
as written in the article, the referral seemed to just be making an off color joke.
She picked up on my concerns about her embarrassment right away and told me, ?This is pretty cool; they usually send me to the dump!? She normally gets weighed on the same scale that they weigh dump trucks on.