Children struggling with leukemia, in half of Polish hospitals, still have to fight pain, because doctors who collect bone marrow use only local anesthesia, not general anesthesia. Doctors defend themselves with vague arguments saying that… they didn’t know the children were howling in pain and thought they were just hysterical for fear of a white coat.
The case was first publicized by Andrzej Wyrwiński from Polsat News. He had heard from mothers of children suffering from leukemia that they did not know about the possibility of anesthesia or were afraid to ask for it, fearing that the doctor would be unfavorable to the child.
Doctors explain that they did not realize that the bone marrow extraction procedure can be so painful and requires stronger anesthesia. And the crying that appeared during the biopsy – in their opinion – was not related to the pain. They associated him with a reluctance to the hospital itself and the white coat.
– I suspect that it is not the doctors’ fault, but the hospital directors who are responsible for the organization of work – says Damian Patecki, a doctor in anesthesiology specialization, vice-president of the HMPA Association. – From the doctor’s point of view, the matter is simple: if I want to perform a procedure under general anesthesia, I must be sure that I will have an anesthesiologist at my disposal. Personally, I believe that doctors should provide patients not only with safety, but also comfort. I was lucky that in the hospitals where I worked, we anesthetized practically all procedures – he adds.
After broadcasting the report on Polsat, hospitals announced that they would change the procedures and from now on will perform bone marrow biopsies for children under general anesthesia. The Patient Rights Ombudsman also got interested in the case. He announced checks in facilities where sick children were refused proper anesthesia (including some hospitals in Poznań, Kraków and Katowice). – We cannot allow minor patients to suffer in the XNUMXst century. We asked for the opinion of national consultants for anaesthesiology and for pediatric hematology and oncology. We will take action, including proceedings for violations of collective patient rights, said Grzegorz Błażewicz, Deputy Patient Ombudsman, Polsat News.