"Could hardly breathe"

Father saves Lukas’ (41) life after misdiagnosis

His dad's presence of mind saved Lukas' life.(Bild: ZvG)

Dismissed as back pain, and yet an acute emergency: a waiter from Kaumberg (Lower Austria) narrowly escaped a potentially fatal total lung collapse due to this "misdiagnosis".

It had actually all started harmlessly: One afternoon in Kaumberg, Lukas Z. (41) was tidying up in the kitchen after work when he suddenly felt "like a stab" in his back. First just a tug, then a pressure that takes his breath away. His father Josef is called to help and immediately calls the ambulance. The paramedics arrive quickly and measure his pulse, oxygen and blood pressure.

Everything seems reasonably stable. The ECG shows abnormalities, but apparently no signs of danger to life. To be on the safe side, an emergency doctor is called in via telemedicine. Her remote diagnosis: probably muscular, recommendation "back training".

A life-saving decision
But Josef Z. sensed that his son's condition was deteriorating: "Lucky could hardly take a deep breath and seemed dazed. That made me feel queasy." The dad's life-saving decision: he rushed his son to hospital in Baden (Lower Austria). There it becomes clear within minutes that the man has anything but a routine problem. The doctors react immediately: X-rays, monitoring - and suddenly everything happens quickly.

Local councillor Hubert Pelikan on the left uncovered the case and demanded consequences.(Image: zVg)(Bild: zVg)

Diagnosis: an acutely life-threatening pneumothorax, an accumulation of air between the lungs and chest wall that acts like a one-way valve and continues to inflate with every breath, causing the respiratory organ to collapse. Lukas is taken to the shock room.

An emergency team places a drain just in time to relieve the pressure on his chest - an intervention that must be carried out immediately to prevent life-threatening circulatory problems. "Dad saved my life," says Lukas.

Rescue initially advised the family doctor 
FPÖ local councillor Hubert Pelikan, who is also Managing Director of the "Medical Air Ambulance Service Austria", has taken care of the family and speaks of "a process that needs to be carefully examined with regard to a possible misdiagnosis". He does not believe in remote telemedical diagnoses.

Red Cross chief physician Dr. Berndt Schreiner: "It is correct that our rescue team was called to a patient in pain. The paramedics carefully carried out all the necessary examinations and sought the advice of an emergency doctor by telephone. Due to the previous history - back problems - and the stable vital signs at the time, it was recommended that the complaints be checked out by a GP."