“I have never seen a wound of such a magnitude of my entire career. These are the words of Ecaterina Clefas, a nurse who testified on Monday on the first day of public hearings on the death of Normand Meunier on Monday day. The man received medical aid to die in March 2024 after developing a bed wound at the Saint-Jérôme hospital.
Updated yesterday at 8:27 p.m.
Betil Félix-Antoine
The press
The investigation, overseen by the Coroner Me Dave Kpton, aims to redo the course of events with the people involved and to issue recommendations so that they do not happen again.
“He had no more buttocks, there was nothing left,” reveals Mr. Meunier’s spouse, Sylvie Brosseau, in tears during a press briefing on Monday morning.
A year ago, Norman Meunier, a 66 -year -old quadriplegic, made his last breath. Two months before his death, a wound had developed in just four days, during which he was lying on a stretcher ill -suited to his state. This wound at her coccyx then infected and worsened to the bone, making it incurable. He was urgently due to a respiratory virus.
What is a pressure wound?
A bed wound, or pressure wound in medical language, forms when sustained pressure is exerted in a body area, generally a place where a bone relieves on the body, such as heels, buttocks or hips. It is caused by the abolition of blood circulation in the affected area. Bed wounds are classified in four stages, depending on their severity.
Unknown consequences
The rehabilitation chef at the Gingras-Lindsay-de-Montréal rehabilitation institute, Caroline Joly, explained that Mr. Meunier suffered from sleep apnea, kidney failure, obesity and shoulder pain. So there were complications about his treatments.
The ideal for him would have been to be lying on the side on his bed. On the other hand, he did not tolerate being lying on the side due to his pain in the shoulders.
Caroline Joly, from the Gingras-Lindsay-de-Montréal Rehabilitation Institute
“The nurses have training in wound care, but I would add a practical component,” recommended the nurse to the CLSC Lafontaine Nathalie Forget, indicating that they have to bet on the mobility of patients affected by wounds, that is to say return them every two hours in their beds. She melted into tears when looking at the photos of Normand Meunier’s wounds, to whom she was going to provide her care, alternating with other colleagues.
-Six or even seven nurses out of thirteen were on work stoppage during the period when Mr. Meunier received home care in November 2023, according to Ecaterina Clefas, also a home nurse at CLSC Lafontaine.
“It was almost impossible to see the same patient every day. And I did approximately all sectors, ”she testifies. “I have never seen a wound of such a magnitude of my entire career,” adds Ecaterina Clefas.
Walter Zelaya, spokesperson for the spinal cord and motor skills organization Quebec (memo-qc), who accompanies Sylvie Brosseau, indicates that “there is a ignorance among certain actors [comme les médecins]. It is important that everyone is aware that a pressure wound can lead to death. ”
In the room, several people in wheelchair attended the audiences.
Lack of communication
“It is far too long to read the Normand’s file. I was told “summarize us!”. I am not a nurse, I am a cook. It was me who was to explain to them, ”says Sylvie Brosseau in reference to poor communication between Health care departments where her spouse was hospitalized.
Is this a systemic problem, in his opinion? “Yes, it’s organizational, a lot. It’s of value, because in my head, if you go to the hospital, it is to be treated, but if no one is talking about, [c’est compliqué] », She confides to The press.
Sometimes, [l’une des infirmières entendues par le coroner] was looking for the name of a dressing and it was I who knew it! I know them all, the terms.
Sylvie Brosseau
According to Mme Brosseau, there was a lack of sensitivity to the Saint-Jérôme hospital. “I have been threatened to fell out from the hospital. […] I have accompanied my spouse 24 hours a day since it had become quadriplegic, ”she explains.
The hearings on the death of Normand Meunier will last three weeks, from May 5 to 9, from May 12 to 16 and from June 2 to 6. In total, 36 witnesses will be called upon to testify. A first investigation by the Cisss des Laurentides was deemed insufficient by those close to Normand Meunier. The Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, then sparked an independent investigation.
A month later, the Minister of Public Security, François Bonnardel, caused the holding of public hearings at the request of the lawyer ofme Brosseau. This is the third investigation concerning the death of Mr. Meunier.
