Extremely obese man from Nis whom firefighters couldn't transport to hospital dies from Covid

The death notice for Boban Petrovic; Photo: D. K.

Morbidly obese Nis man Boban Petrovic (48), whose weight was estimated at about 250 kilograms (550 lbs - initial reports said 200 kilograms) passed away last night at the Nis Clinical Center as a result of coronavirus infection.

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His mother Snezana Petrovic says that due to his bad condition, an ambulance crew came to their home three times yesterday, the last time last night around 10 pm, because he had extreme difficulty breathing.

"They had a problem taking him out of the house because of his weight, they called the fire department, they didn't do anything. They couldn't transport him, they said they had no means to. They said they would be coming to administer therapy. Last night around ten o'clock he started to choke a lot, he couldn't breathe at all, we called the doctors again and they gave him an IV. He was not better, so my daughter-in-law, my husband and friends somehow managed to pick him up and put him in the car. They took him to the Clinical Center, as I was told, they refused to admit him at the Infectious Diseases Clinic, sending him to a Covid hospital instead. He died there in ten minutes, they tried resuscitation but if failed," said the grieving woman.

She explains that the fatal virus was brought into the house by her grandson, she assumes from a club where he practices football.

"We all got infected, it was around March 10. However, Boban was getting worse, the last two days were very difficult, but we still didn't think the worst would happen," said the mother.

Yesterday, a crew from the Institute for Emergency Medical Assistance in Nis requested help from firefighters in order to transfer a patient to the hospital, considering that he was infected with coronavirus. However, as we learned, the transport of the sick man was abandoned at the last minute, after it was assessed that moving him would be risky, so it was decided that a medical team would visit him every day in order to administer adequate therapy.

An ambulance crew arrived at the patient's address after relatives called them, considering that his condition, a consequence of coronavirus infection, had deteriorated.

"It was established that the man was too large for the medical team to take him to the ambulance, and it was also suspected that the vehicle was not big enough, either.

After consultations with the management, it was decided to call firefighters for help. They also put on hazmat suits and showed up in front of the patient's house, but it was established that not even their vehicle 'matched' the size of the patient.

Considering that it was assessed that the patient's condition was stable enough not to require emergency hospitalization, it was decided to wait until the best possible way to transport him has been found," our sources familiar with this case said earlier.

As we found out, considering that the medical stretcher was completely inadequate because it could not even bear the weight of the patient, the firefighters brought a tent wing to use to take him out of the house. However, due to the fear that it could be risky for him, the transport was abandoned.

(Telegraf.rs)