Family members hold portrait of the deceased to demand an explanation. Photo by reporter Jiale Zhu.
BEIJING, August 18 (reporter Kuangmian Nie) At 1:30 PM last Sunday, 58-year-old Xu Zhuo came to Beijing Danruyuan Traditional Chinese Medicine Outpatient Department for an IV drip due to nausea and vomiting. Two hours later, he passed away at Fengtai Railway Hospital. The family questions whether the IV drip led to Xu's death, but the outpatient department claims there was no fault on their part.
Sudden Death After Clinic IV Drip
Around 1:30 PM last Sunday, after lunch, Xu Zhuo from Kandan Road in Fengtai District suddenly felt nauseous and immediately went to a nearby clinic - Beijing Danruyuan Traditional Chinese Medicine Outpatient Department for treatment.
Doctor Liu, who is over 60 years old at the outpatient department, prescribed three bottles of medicine for an IV drip. She told reporters that the first two bottles mainly contained Vitamin C and Cimetidine. "After the first two bottles were finished, the symptoms of nausea were somewhat relieved." In the third bottle, she added Lailixin for anti-infection, and Xu Zhuo suddenly felt chest tightness and shortness of breath.
Doctor Liu immediately stopped the IV drip and replaced the third bottle of medicine with sugar water. "I thought he might be allergic, so I gave him oxygen, and then added dexamethasone for emergency treatment."
However, Xu Zhuo still had difficulty breathing. At the request of the family, the clinic sent him to the emergency department of the nearby Fengtai Railway Hospital. At 3:30 PM, Xu Zhuo was pronounced dead, and the cause of death was "primary heart disease."
Xu Zhuo's daughter, Xu Xiaoyan, believed that her father did not have a history of heart disease before his death, and that the sudden death was caused by improper IV drip administration at the clinic.
Family Members Place Wreathes in Silent Protest
That evening, Xu Zhuo's two children came to the Danruyuan Traditional Chinese Medicine Outpatient Department to demand an explanation. They proposed sealing the four bottles of medicine used at the time as evidence and demanded compensation.
The next morning, the family came to the outpatient department again hoping to discuss the amount of compensation. However, Ms. Guo, the legal representative of the outpatient department, stated that other shareholders could not be contacted, so they could not respond immediately. The family believed this was an attempt to shirk responsibility, so they placed wreaths and a portrait of the deceased in front of the door and sat silently in protest.
At 4 PM yesterday, the reporter saw at the outpatient department that more than ten wreaths were placed in front of the door, and on the ground was a black-and-white portrait of the deceased, Xu Zhuo. Through the glass, one could see the practice license and business license hanging on the wall; at this time, the clinic was not in operation.
It is understood that the Danruyuan Traditional Chinese Medicine Outpatient Department has been around for more than ten years and is a private hospital with more than ten attending doctors, most of whom are retired doctors hired back from various hospitals in Beijing.
Compensation Amount Under Negotiation
Yesterday afternoon, the family said that an autopsy would take three months and could damage the body, so they decided against it and wished to resolve the matter privately with the outpatient department. After Ms. Guo, the legal representative of the clinic, arrived, she insisted that their diagnosis and medication use were correct and were willing to go through legal procedures to clarify the facts. Doctor Liu also stated that "primary heart disease" is unrelated to past medical history and is a disease that can trigger sudden death at any time and place, not caused by the IV drip. Both sides were thus temporarily deadlocked.
Subsequently, police officers from the police station and staff from the Medical Administration Division of the Fengtai District Health Bureau came to the outpatient department. Under their mediation, both parties negotiated the amount of compensation.
The family said that considering their feelings, the other party was willing to compensate 300,000 yuan, but could not pay it all at once. This amount was not confirmed by the outpatient department side. As of the reporter's deadline, both parties were still negotiating.