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Defibrillator Catches Fire, Kills A Patient

John Patrick November 30th, 2022
LONG BEACH, CA - MAY 09: A hemorrhage control kit is seen in an AED station as St. Mary Medical Center trauma nurses lead a Combat Application Tourniquet training demonstration at California State University, Long Beach in response to campus shootings across the nation on May 9, 2019 in Long Beach, California. Although authorities have said that graffiti found in a campus bathroom last night stating "School shooter to BE WARNED 5-9." did not prove to be a credible threat, many employees and students reportedly stayed away from campus today because of it. A total of 37 hemorrhage control kits have recently been installed at AED (automated external defibrillator) stations on campus, and more are being installed at two nearby campuses. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

A defibrillator catches fire, kills a patient and there are questions.

Here’s the story:

Bobby Ray Stark has been bedridden for seven years. And he went to the hospital on Thanksgiving Day because of bed sores and a foot infection.  He was transferred to TriStar Centennial Medical Center in Nashville.  While there, he went into cardiac arrest, meaning the staff reached for the defibrillator in an attempt to revive him, and then, the defibrillator exploded.

Stark, caught on fire, burned in his throat, face, head, chest, and hands.  He was on fire.

He was transferred to the burn unit at TriStar where he passed away on Thanksgiving night.

A statement from the hospital, “while we cannot discuss specifics, we are reviewing the care provided to the patient and the functionality of equipment.  The death of a loved one is always difficult, and our hearts go out to this family.

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