A man has severe abdominal pain, and for this reason, his friend brings him to the emergency room of a hospital. What is striking about the cramps is that they are unusually painful, but that they also return at regular intervals and following subside. A nurse is investigating the 32-year-old patient and notes that the blood pressure of the obese man is increased. She believes to know the reason for the complaints: The man has probably taken his blood pressure medication. A miscalculation, as it turns out later. In fact, the man’s in pain – he’s pregnant.
About the unusual – and, unfortunately, tragic end of case – reports, a team of Doctors in the journal “New England Journal of Medicine” (NEJM). The Patient and the treating hospital will remain in the report anonymously. The Team led by Daphna Stroumsa, decided nevertheless to publish the case as an example of how dangerous hasty diagnoses for people can be the features to bring.
Positive pregnancy test in the Morning
Sam, as the man in the report is called, tells the nurse that he had actually been born a woman. As the stomach used in pain, he did a pregnancy test which was positive. The Patient was puzzled about this myself – its last period of bleeding was years. For a time the man testosterone, and blood have taken the pressure medium, he continues. The medicines he had to settle but, because he was not insured with sickness insurance. And something else was noticed, the patient this Morning: He is to have a larger amount of liquid to be lost, ignorant to what it may have to be adjusted.
In spite of these instructions, the nurse, and Sam classifies as a non-urgent case. Blood samples are taken and hours pass before a doctor examines the patient again. On Palpation of the abdomen this will ultimately determine the pregnancy. Immediately an emergency will convene a team.
Now the gynecologist to examine the man and make a disturbing discovery: The umbilical cord of the unborn child is already slipped into the birth canal. A so-called umbilical cord prolapse is for the Unborn is extremely dangerous, because the umbilical cord could be disconnected. The child is then no longer sufficiently supplied with oxygen, may with disabilities to the world – or die in the womb.
The Baby comes dead to the world
With an Emergency caesarean section the baby’s life to be saved. But it is too late. The Doctors could not detect any heart sounds. The Baby comes to a standstill to the world.
Would have saved the life of a child by a previous Intervention by the Doctors? It is unclear, however, in the case of a medical emergency, it often comes down to minutes, if not seconds.
In the case report, the Doctors, therefore, stress how important it is, not only on the external environment and to respect the related assumptions, but also on the personal history of the Individual. This could medical care not only for Transgender patients improve, “but for all patients, the classic ‘categories’ divide”, writes Daphna Stroumsa in the “NEJM”.
Although Sam had not planned the pregnancy and had not taken into account, he was “inconsolable” about the loss of the child, the report says.
