Scott QuinerâCOVID Patient at Center of Ventilator LawsuitâDies, Almost $40,000 Raised
Scott Quiner, who was unvaccinated, died on Saturday after spending weeks in ICU. His wife sued the hospital to prevent his ventilator from being turned off.
A COVID patient whose wife fought a legal battle to keep his ventilator turned on has died at a hospital in Texas, a family attorney said.
The case of Scott Quiner, a 55-year-old Minnesota man who was admitted to hospital last year after testing positive for COVID on October 30, gained attention in recent days as his wife Anne sued to prevent doctors from switching his ventilator off.
Quiner had initially been admitted to a hospital in Waconia, Minnesota, with low oxygen levels. He was then transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Mercy Hospital as it was able to provide the medical attention that he needed, according to a GoFundMe fundraising page to support the family.
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Then, in January, doctors advised Quiner's wife Anne that they planned to take her husband off of his respiratory support.
Anne took legal action against this decision, noting in a court filing that she didn't want the ventilator turned off and strongly disagreed with the doctors' decision.
The filing read: "Absent an order from the court restraining Defendant Mercy hospital from turning off the ventilator, my husband will die."
The hospital argued that Quiner's medical care was based on the "best available medical science and authority."
After Anne received legal assistance, a judge granted a motion for a restraining order preventing the hospital from taking Quiner off the ventilator. Quiner was transferred out of state to a hospital in Texas, where he continued receiving care.
Public Support
Quiner died on Saturday according to the family's attorney, Marjorie Holsten, who told The Washington Post: "On behalf of the family of Scott Quiner, I would like to thank the public for the outpouring of love and support during this difficult time."
As of Monday morning the GoFundMe page that was set up for the Quiner family titled "Scott Quiner's - Medical Relief Fund" had received just under $40,000, which compares with an initial goal of $25,000.
Quiner's case came amid reports of hospitals across the U.S. dealing with high numbers of patients admitted with COVID. Earlier this month, health officials in Oklahoma declared that ICUs in the state were full, leaving patients waiting for hospital beds.
Staffing shortages were also an issue for many facilities with hundreds anticipating a shortage in the near term as health workers were exposed to the highly infectious Omicron variant.
Last week, it was reported that the country could see more than 1 million COVID hospitalizations as a result of the Omicron surge.
A file photo of a patient in a hospital bed. A Minnesota man has died following a lawsuit to keep his ventilator on.A file photo of a patient in a hospital bed. A Minnesota man has died following a lawsuit to keep his ventilator on.gorodenkoff/Getty
