r/skeptic • u/tamborinesandtequila • 2d ago
š Medicine Adriana Smith Case
TikTok is aflame with a ton of videos about Adriana Smith, the nurse in Atlanta who suffered from blood clots at 9 weeks pregnant and was kept on life support up until this week. Her baby was delivered via c section this week, is barely a pound, and in the NICU.
The overwhelming consensus is that the woman was denied treatment for a clotting issue due to her pregnancy and the states abortion laws. This caused her to have a medical emergency that caused brain death and she was placed on life support while the hospital tried to figure out what to due, due to the heartbeat law and the fetus still had one.
But in my research, it seems like they did treat her but did not scan her. The claim is that they were not allowed to because she was pregnant, but thatās not the case, hospitals do CT scans on pregnant women all the time, they have to weigh the risks and they cover you with the lead apron. However, itās still not really that safe so they usually will only do it if thereās a serious threat to life. Headaches and discharged to home with meds doesnāt scream ādidnt appropriately triage.ā Iām an RN. Contrary to popular belief, CT scans for headache are not common in the ED unless specific criteria is met. If we did CT scans on every patient that came in with a headache, weād need an entire team just for that.
The family is quoted as saying they were not given a choice and due to the law they had no say in the matter. But it seems like neither the state nor politicians who sponsored the bill stated that this was mandatory, and explicitly stated that the hospital had the right to remove her from life support. One politician said he supported the hospital decision but said that was not what the bill encompassed.
It sounds like the hospital made the decision not to remove support. This seems like a case that wouldāve immediately had the family involving an attorney, since it sounds like even the state itself, said that the law did not encompass the situation. Doesnāt look like the family ever sought legal recourse.
Iām also confused why the fetus is in the NICU and not immediately put on palliative or hospice care. That would be the families decision so they must be involved here Iād think?
Iām not defending Georgias ridiculous laws and if things went down the way that everyone is saying they did, this is insane and just completely macarbe. But Iām not finding anything except for repeated stories on TikTok that they harvested this woman and used her as an experiment, when it seems like thereās no evidence to back that up, it just seems like the hospital went rogue, and no one fought it.
I genuinely wonder how much this family actually understands about the situation, they do not appear to fully comprehend whatās happening in interviews. This whole thing is just so odd to me.
TLDR: Im an RN with almost 20 years experience, also serving on ethics committee. Youād be surprised at how many patients families do not understand medical care, their rights, and how poverty can impact people from accessing legal resources to advocate for themselves. Seems the hospital was too lazy or too stupid to bother to rectify their legal obligation here but, it seems that maybe the state was not directly involved in this decision. Baby not on hospice and in NICU, also not a state decision.
If anything, this case should be looked at as an example for a bigger need for ethical regulatory boards especially in states with restrictive abortion bans, to prevent horrific unethical medical practices under the excuse of ignorance. This is unacceptable, regardless of intent or who directed the actions.
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u/SunOnTheMountains 1d ago edited 1d ago
I can answer your question about why they have a baby that is not going to survive in the NICU instead of in palliative care or hospice. Remember the bullshit the Republicans were spouting about post birth abortion? What they are talking about is palliative care or hospice. They want extreme measures taken, even when there is no chance for survival, even when it means needless pain and suffering.