UnityPoint Health St. Luke’s Hospital

My sister was admitted with ketoacidosis secondary to diabetes. She was vomiting for hours in the ER with a blood sugar in the upper 300’s. She was given fluids for dehydration, and an insulin drip was recommended but never started in the Er because she was suppose to be moved to critical care. My family was informed it would take an hour to get her room cleaned then she could be transferred. She was left in the ER for over 7 hours during which time her blood pressure alarm continuously went off and her BP was over 200. She was short of breath and the nurse simply instructed her to control her breathing because she was just hyperventilating. Hours later after she was moved to ICU and she was still short of breath with a grossly high blood pressure, labs were drawn which confirmed she had elevated cardiac enzymes and had, had a heart attack.
She sat in the Er having a heart attack and did not receive any care for the myocardial infarct of her ketoacidosis, until she was moved to ICU, almost 8 hours after she arrived at the ER. The insulin drip ordered by the doctor for her ketoacidosis was not started for 8 hours. She had to have 3 stents placed in her heart over the next two days. She was moved within a couple of hours from ICU, because her bed was needed, to the cardiac wing. Where is the care? I understand an ER is busy and there are many critical patients, but when a blood pressure is ²⁰⁰⁄₁₃₀ and the alarm is ignored for hours, that is gross neglect. My mother and my sister were both treated with disrespect by the nurse who seemed annoyed to be helping her, telling her to breath through her heart attack, dismissing it as anxiety.
My sister does not have insurance, so maybe that is why her care was so substandard. Lack of insurance should not be a reason to withhold treatment for life threatening illnesses. She could have died due to neglect and her body underwent hours of unnecessary stress which will likely extend her hospital stay, hence the bill. I doubt 8 hours of neglect, while she was having a heart attack, vomiting continuously in a ketoacidotic crisis will lengthen her life to any degree. She did eventually receive care, but if the goal of an emergency room is to treat emergency or emergent illnesses this one is far below the expected standard.

Very nice ER! The staff is very helpful and understanding and do everything they can to get you in to see a doctor as soon as possible.
This trip for me to the ER was to see if I actually had insects and spider bites while I was down in Mexico, good thing I went! Because it turned out that I had a staff infection, (MRSA) I go back tomorrow for another Ive. I should be all better after that, they cut me open and drained the two areas, one on my thigh and one on my elbow, they packed the two areas and now I’m on the right medication and I’m feeling better!