Young dad left ramped at Ipswich Hospital for more than three hours despite collapsed lungs

A Brisbane man with a history of collapsed lungs says was in fear for his life as he was ramped for more than three hours at Ipswich Hospital, despite paramedics saying he needed to be in resuscitation.

A 25-year-old Brisbane man who suffers from lupus was left fearing for his life as he was ramped for more than three hours at one of Queensland’s worst performing hospitals.

Father of two Joe Horvat who was left in the back of an ambulance in agony and struggling to breathe says his concerns that his lung had potentially collapsed fell on deaf ears at Ipswich Hospital.

It comes after the hospital was the centre of a ramping death earlier in the week when grandfather Wayne Irving was left ramped for three hours.

Mr Horvat has suffered 13 collapsed lungs in the past five years, the most recent occurring just four months ago. On Wednesday night he started to experience severe chest pain, a pain he associated with previous collapsed lungs.

“The pain started at night, I was in so much pain and had difficulty breathing but it is normal for me, so I went to bed hoping I would sleep it off,” Mr Horvat said while still at Ipswich Hospital on Thursday afternoon.

Joe Horvat, who suffers from lupus, was left ramped at Ipswich Hospital for more than three hours with collapsed lungs.

“The next morning I woke up at 9 o’clock and I was struggling to breathe, I could barely breathe. I was in so much pain so I decided to call an ambulance.”

QAS dispatched an ambulance to his home in under 15 minutes. Paramedics took Mr Horvat to Ipswich Hospital, arriving at 9.30am.

“While I was in the ambulance my heart rate was at 150 beats per minute and I am on beta blockers so it normally sits around 60 to 80. The ambulance actually called the hospital to prepare them for me coming in.”

“We arrived at Ipswich Hospital, I went through triage and the paramedic said that I needed to be in re-sus, saying that I wasn’t well.

“The hospital said they didn’t have any beds but what they were going to do was to put me on the ramp and do some testing and then whatever the testing comes out at, is what they are going to do.

“My paramedic wasn’t too happy about that, but we sat on the ramp where they assessed my vitals and gave me some medication.

“While I was officially still ramped, the paramedics took me to get an X-ray, the paramedic actually wheeled me through the hospital on the stretcher to take the X-ray which I have never had done before and then I went back to be ramped.

“One of the head nurses came up and said to me that there was no sign of a collapsed lung and that they had been through my file and had only seen one collapsed lung despite me telling them I have had 13.”

Mr Horvat waited more than three hours for a bed at Ipswich Hospital

Mr Horvat says he has only lived in the Ipswich area for five months and in that time has only experienced one collapsed lung which was recorded by the hospital. His other 13 were recorded at other HSS centres around Queensland.

“The nurse then looks at my paramedics and tells him to put me in the waiting room to which he responds ‘no I do not feel comfortable putting him in the waiting room, he is sick, he needs to get the help’,” Mr Horvat said.

More than three hours after arriving at hospital, Mr Horvat says he was finally allocated a bed in the short stay wing where he remains.

“The reason I am speaking out now is because this is not my first experience like this, as someone that uses the health system quite regularly, this is not the first time that I felt like I was being gaslighted by a Queensland health worker,” he said.

“I do not choose to be here, I am meant to be at work, I own a company, I have my own family that I should be looking after.

“The most fitting word that comes to my mind is that I feel gaslit, ‘you’re not sick, you’re not sick’. It is so frustrating because there was evidence behind my being there, my heart rate was up, I have lupus, I was having difficulty breathing and I was in pain.”

Joe Horvat with his wife and two children on his wedding day. Credit: Facebook

Mr Horvat who has now been seen by a doctor at the hospital has been told he has a blood clot in his lung.

“If they had put me in the waiting room, without the attention of paramedics, who knows what would have happened. The paramedics in that case really fought for me.”

The Courier-Mail contacted Queensland Health following Mr Horvat’s treatment.

“All patients who present to Ipswich Hospital ED are provided quality, compassionate, clinical care,” West Moreton Health chief executive Hannah Bloch said.

“Mr Horvat, who reported on his care today on social media, was given timely and clinically appropriate treatment within the Emergency Department.

“Our facilities have been unusually busy this month. Our presentations are 4% higher for this time of year and the number of very sick patients is up by 6.8%. Despite this, our clinicians are working tirelessly to treat everyone who presents to our facilities.”

The Courier Mail also approached QAS for comment but it has since declined.