Patient in Salzburg Rejected and Died: Lawsuit Against State Clinics

In March 2025, a patient at the state hospital could not be urgently operated on after an aortic rupture, presumably due to a lack of resources. The man died after waiting for hours on the way to Linz, according to Salzburg lawyer Stefan Rieder, who represents the relatives of the deceased in a lawsuit against the Salzburg state clinics on November 27. The bereaved are demanding compensation for pain and suffering. Rieder accuses the clinics of organizational negligence.

Other Hospitals Also Apparently Without Free Capacity

According to the lawyer, the 79-year-old from Salzburg suffered from a known aortic aneurysm. After a sudden severe pain, he called emergency services on March 27 of this year. In the emergency room, a life-threatening aortic rupture was diagnosed, but the emergency team at the hospital was busy with another emergency at that time. Attempts were made to transfer the man to other hospitals in the area, which failed due to capacity problems.

Still in Salzburg, the man reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest, but was initially resuscitated. Only more than four hours after his admission was he transferred by helicopter to a hospital in Linz. There, he died in the corridor on the way to the operating room. "With his diagnosis, a cardiac surgical intervention would have been necessary within 30 minutes," Rieder emphasized to the newspaper.

Lawyer: Second Operating Room Available, "But There Were No People"

For the representative of the deceased's relatives, it is clear that a second emergency team should have been on standby to step in when there are two emergencies at the same time. However, the man was admitted outside of core working hours, during which only one emergency team is available. "The second emergency operating room was available, but there were no people," said Rieder.

The Salzburg state clinics emphasized in a written statement on Tuesday that the man was admitted to the university hospital, immediately examined, and diagnosed. "All medical steps were taken to treat the patient accordingly. However, an operation at the university clinic for cardiac surgery was not possible at that time, as the cardiac surgical team was already busy with an emergency operation." In accordance with the usual procedure, other hospitals were asked for available capacities to take over. Finally, the university clinic in Linz was able to agree to take over. They deeply regret that the patient died after the takeover.

In principle, the university hospital in Salzburg is very well equipped for emergencies of this kind. Annually, 20 to 25 people with an aneurysm or an aortic dissection are treated, i.e., urgently operated on. There is a defined procedure with clear alarm, diagnostic, and surgical paths. The goal is to minimize the time from arrival at the university hospital to care by a surgical team.

(APA/Red)

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