Naples – She arrived at the emergency room of the Ospedale del Mare in an altered state, agitated and confused, after drinking. The paramedics decided to sedate her and strap her to a stretcher, noting in the medical report that she was "bothering the other patients."
A few hours later, the woman—a 39-year-old epileptic—died of cardiac arrest. The incident occurred during the night between September 11th and 12th, but the matter has only now become public knowledge: the family, assisted by lawyer Amedeo Di Pietro, has filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office to determine the cause of death.
A night in the emergency room
"Cristina" (not her real name) arrived at the emergency room shortly after 10:00 PM on September 11. According to medical records, the woman was "in a state of psychomotor agitation" after consuming alcohol.
The medical staff then decided to use physical and pharmacological restraints, an extreme measure still used today in some emergency departments to manage agitated or potentially dangerous patients. Over the next few hours, the patient remained restrained on the stretcher for observation. Around 7:10 a.m. on September 12, she went into cardiac arrest; resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful: she died at 7:45 a.m.
According to the complaint filed with the Prosecutor's Office, the woman was held captive for nearly nine hours, in conditions her family described as "inhumane," without adequate medical monitoring.
The judicial investigation
The Naples Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation into the hospital death and ordered an autopsy.
It might interest you
Naples: 34-year-old man arrested for stealing a customer's purse at a Secondigliano bar
Casavatore: Work has begun on the first dog walking area.
Fake invalidity claims, massive €2 million scam at INPS: eight under investigation in Naples
A night of terror in Pomigliano d'Arco: thieves attempt to steal a car and threaten the owner with death.
The family's lawyer, Di Pietro, described it as "a matter that raises serious questions about the management of the health emergency and the safety of the most vulnerable patients."
The emergency room crisis: departments on the verge of collapse
Cristina's death is part of a dramatic situation facing emergency rooms in Naples and its province. According to the latest data from the Italian Federation of Healthcare and Hospital Authorities (FIASO), emergency admissions to Campania hospitals have increased by 18% in the past year, while the number of doctors and nurses has decreased by 12%.
At Ospedale del Mare, one of the largest emergency centers in Southern Italy, the emergency room is crowded daily with hundreds of patients waiting for up to 10 hours. On the wards, doctors and nurses work under pressure, often without adequate space for psychiatric patients or those with behavioral disorders.
"The problem isn't just staff shortages, but also the lack of dedicated facilities for those arriving in the emergency room with altered moods or epileptic seizures," explains an emergency physician who requested anonymity. "Restraints become a last resort when there are no alternatives, but without constant monitoring they can become life-threatening."
A tragedy that questions the system
The case of "Cristina" therefore raises not only medical but also ethical and organizational questions: is it acceptable for a fragile patient, who came seeking help, to die tied to a stretcher?
The Prosecutor's Office will investigate individual responsibilities, but the broader issue remains open: that of an emergency system under siege, where lack of resources, overcrowding, and the lack of specific training for psychiatric cases make every night a battlefield.
Comments (1)
The situation in emergency rooms is truly worrying. We hear about cases like this and it makes us reflect on the lack of resources and the way patients in crisis are managed. We hope improvements will be made to avoid similar tragedies in the future.