A black doctor who died of COVID said racism affected care

A black doctor who has since died of COVID-19 said she believed she had not been properly treated by hospital doctors and that racism was affecting her poor care.

Dr. Susan Moore, MD, tested positive for COVID-19 on November 29 and was admitted to the IU Health North Hospital in Carmel, Indiana, but began posting immediately. Facebook updates and videos With her concerns about her treatment.

She said she showed a respiratory rate in her thirties, a heart rate in her fifties, and a fever of 101.5 ° F. In the end, I had to “ask for remdesivir” because doctor Eric Baneck, MD, said chest x-. The rays looked normal.

“Then I had to plead for a CT of the chest, which I finally got, and it showed large mediastinal lymphadenopathy, right lower lobe infiltration, [and] The new lower left leaf is infiltrated, “she wrote in a Facebook post.

She then injected Remdesivir twice, but wrote that Banek said she wasn’t short of breath and wasn’t eligible any more.

She also accused Banek of hesitating to give her drugs because of severe neck pain and saying she could be discharged home.

Moore continued to defend himself by talking to the patient’s advocate. Despite unfortunate discussions, she said STATCT angiography was subsequently ordered.

“The CT dropped a little into my lungs, and new lung infiltrates and new lymphadenopathy were seen throughout my neck,” she said in a video, compared to the December 1 image.

After that, she was given painkillers. “Why do I have to prove that I have something wrong to treat my pain?” She asked. “I suggest and insist that if I were white, I wouldn’t have to experience it.”

Moore could then speak to the Chief Medical Officer of the hospital system and was convinced that “all my concerns have been resolved and he personally confirms that I am receiving the best possible treatment.” Said.

She got a new pulmonologist and a new care plan that included increasing the dose of dexamethasone. Her fever subsided, her blood pressure was slightly higher but stable, and her heart rate was in the normal range. She said oxygen saturation had dropped to 89. “I’m short of breath, but I’m short of oxygen … and maybe I’m going home today.”

She was discharged within 12 hours when her fever soared to 103 degrees Fahrenheit and her blood pressure dropped to 80/60 mm Hg. As a result, she was admitted to another hospital, Ascension St. Vincent, Carmel, Indiana.

“Everyone must agree to leave me immediately,” Moore posted on Facebook about IU Health North Hospital.

“This is how blacks are killed when you send them home and they don’t know how to fight for themselves,” she said in the video.

Her last update was that she was using BiPAP and was transferred to the ICU.

Moore died on Sunday, December 20th. She was 52 years old and left her 19-year-old son Henry and his two parents behind. Both have dementia. According to GoFundMe Founded by Dr. Alicia Sanders, MD, who had been in contact with Moore in the last few weeks of her life, she was the primary caregiver for all three relatives.

IU Health cannot comment on “a particular patient, its medical history or condition” in a statement, but “as an organization working to reduce fairness and racial disparity in health care, it takes discrimination charges very seriously. We are taking it and investigating it. ” All allegations. “

“Treatment options are often agreed and reviewed by healthcare professionals from different disciplines. We support the commitment and expertise of caregivers and the quality of care provided to patients daily. I will do it, “continued the statement.

Ascension St. Vincent’s Hospital did not return a request for comment.

Both Moore and Bannc are currently licensed in Indiana without sanctions.

Baneck Google Review It has already been blown up in a one-star review by dozens of angry commentators who were furious at Moore’s case.

Moore’s videos are being watched around the world, and Australian obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Carmen Brown commented that Moore “did not have to die that way.”

“She had to defend herself and was still ignored.” Brown tweeted.. “Do you know how terrifying this is for those who have no voice?”

New York doctor Omorara Uwemedimo, MD, tweeted Moore’s “medical degree did not save her from the racism she endured.”

“”[Three] A few weeks after her diagnosis, she is no longer with us. If she didn’t repeatedly receive delays in care that seemed to be due to her being a black woman, I can’t help but wonder if the results would have been different. Lack of respect and trust that we often face ” Uwemedimo tweeted..