AIR A&E: OAP ‘Killed Patient’ By Turning Off Her Noisy Hospital Oxygen Supply

A hospital patient who turned off her roommate’s oxygen tank because the noise it made was keeping her awake could face manslaughter charges in Germany.

Image shows Hilal K., 79, who was placed on an oxygen device, undated photo. Her hospital roommate at a hospital in the city of Mannheim, Germany, switched off the machine because she was bothered by it, on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. (Newsflash)

The 79-year-old COVID patient was resuscitated after medics noted the machine was turned off but died later from problems caused by oxygen starvation, report local media.

Prosecutors in Mannheim say the patient sharing her room -named only as Hatun C., 72 – is being held in custody while they examine the case.

A spokesman said: “Investigations in this case are ongoing.”

The two women had been sharing a room at the Diako Mannheim general hospital in Mannheim.

But the noise from 79-year-old Hilal K.’s oxygen mask reportedly kept her roommate awake at night.

Doctors said that without the oxygen, she would have died but Hatun C. repeatedly turned off the supply.

The incident emerged after the dead woman’s daughter, 48-year-old Sadet O. revealed what had happened.

Image shows the Diako Mannheim general hospital in the city of Mannheim, in Germany undated photo. Hilal K., 79, died after her hospital roommate switched off her oxygen device because she was bothered by it, on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022 (Newsflash)

She said: “My mother had been in hospital for a week, after she was diagnosed with heart fibrillation and anaemia. While she was in the clinic, she was infected with COVID.

“She was already on the oxygen machine when she was moved to the Corona ward. I was with her until 7pm on the day she died, and she was very tired, she slept most of the time.”

Shortly after she left, the other patient got up and switched off the oxygen because it was disturbing her sleep.

But hospital staff noticed, and warned her that she shouldn’t do it again as it was keeping her neighbour alive. She was specifically told that it was a “vital measure”.

Yet an hour later, around 9pm, she reportedly switched it off again.

Sadet told German newspaper Bild: “My mother had to be resuscitated. She almost died. I don’t understand how she could have done this to my mother?”

She said that she had told her mother what had happened and her mother had been shocked she had not even spoken to the woman or done anything to her.

Although she was resuscitated, it turned out that she later died and an autopsy has been carried out to confirm the suspicion that the damage caused when her oxygen was switched off was the cause of death.

The daughter also criticised the clinic for leaving the other woman in the ward with her mother after her first attempt to turn off the oxygen.

Image shows the Diako Mannheim general hospital in the city of Mannheim, in Germany undated photo. Hilal K., 79, died after her hospital roommate switched off her oxygen device because she was bothered by it, on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022 (Newsflash)

A hospital spokesman confirmed the incident but said that it was in the hands of the public prosecutor, and they are not able to provide any more information.

The accused woman remains in investigative custody.