By EMS1 staff
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. — Two paramedics assigned to limited public contact after mistakenly declaring a living man dead returned to work Wednesday.
The actions of the Prince George’s County, Md., paramedics were called into question after their initial assessment that a patient was deceased was not accurate.
After signs of life were reported, the 70-year-old patient was transported to the hospital about 90 minutes later by another EMS unit but he died the next day.
STATer911.com reported the patient may have had necrotizing fasciltis (flesh-eating bacteria) and that “the odor and visual impression at the scene apparently gave the indication decomposition of the man’s body had already occurred.”
Though the two paramedics, suspended since Friday, returned to duty with full clearance, their case continues to be reviewed—a process that can take up to two months.
After the incident, the department’s paramedics were required to review the Presumed Dead on Arrival (PDOA) protocols. This includes an update that most PDOA determinations must include a medical consult between the responder and a physician.
“Friday’s incident in Glenarden is extremely regrettable for everyone involved and the Fire/EMS Department is doing everything possible to avoid any reoccurrence,” a press released by the department said.