Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital is apologizing for blowing the diagnosis of Ebola patient Thomas Duncan and sending him home.
“It’s hard for me to put into words how we felt when our patient Thomas Eric Duncan lost his struggle with Ebola on Oct. 8,” said Dr. Daniel Varga, chief clinical officer for Texas Health Services, in testimony prepared for a House subcommittee hearing today. “It was devastating to the nurses, doctors, and team who tried so hard to save his life. We keep his family in our thoughts and prayers.
“Unfortunately, in our initial treatment of Mr. Duncan, despite our best intentions and a highly skilled medical team, we made mistakes. We did not correctly diagnose his symptoms as those of Ebola. We are deeply sorry.”
Two of the hospitals nurses have since contracted the Ebola virus, one of whom was flown to Emory University Hospital for treatment Wednesday night.
House subcommittee hearing begins at noon
CDC Director Tom Frieden and several other infectious disease experts will testify this afternoon before the oversight and investigations subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The hearing begins at noon and comes at a time when some lawmakers are asking for Frieden’s resignation. Varga sent the statement referred to above saying he would be unable to attend personally.
