Latest news with #sedation
News.com.au
5 days ago
- News.com.au
Man dies at Waterloo unit while being sedated by paramedics
A man has died as paramedics attempted to sedate him in Sydney's inner south. The man fell unconscious after paramedics responded to a concern for welfare check in a block of units on Pitt St in Waterloo just before 2am on Tuesday. They called police for assistance, with four officers on the scene. Paramedics tried to revive the man but he was declared dead at the Royal Prince Albert Hospital. NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna told reporters there was no indication the man was armed. 'I can say that I'm not aware of any (weapons) being used aside from handcuffs,' he said. 'Make no mistake – the police and the ambulance officers went there to help someone today. 'It's unfortunate that this male is now deceased, but all of the circumstances around that will be thoroughly investigated and oversighted.' Mr McKenna added that paramedics were typically required to sedate people if they were 'aggressive in nature'. 'Look, (if) ambulance officers decide to sedate someone, it is usually for their own protection,' he said. 'That person, it's how they're acting at the time. It's usually an aggressive nature. 'That will all form a part of the critical incident investigation.'
ABC News
25-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Mental health patient 'sedated' and waiting for days in emergency department
A Queensland GP says one of his patients was sedated in an emergency department while waiting several days for a bed in a mental health ward to become available. It follows calls by the Nurses' Professional Association of Queensland for an independent investigation into performance reporting data in emergency departments. In a June survey, nurses from Rockhampton and Gladstone hospitals claimed they were being pressured to manipulate data and raised concerns about the increasing use of sedation on mental health patients. Boyne Island doctor Gaston Boulanger said his patient was taken by ambulance to the Gladstone Hospital because of his psychosis. "That's very frightening, very, very troubling for a patient like that. It's not good for their ongoing mental health." Despite a population of approximately 63, 000 in the Gladstone region, there are no inpatient mental health beds at the Gladstone Hospital. The Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service acknowledged its emergency departments (ED) were dealing with high demand. "I am concerned that allegations have been made that ED data has been misrepresented, and I certainly do not endorse incorrect reporting of data in any instance," chief executive Lisa Blackler said. She also refuted claims that mental health patients were being sedated while waiting for a bed, and said sedation was only used when a patient's behaviour risked themselves, patients or staff. Nurses' Professional Association of Queensland President Kara Thomas said the union recently surveyed nearly 100 members in Gladstone and Rockhampton. She said the survey showed nurses were being pressured to move emergency department patients into overflow short-stay units to avoid performance breaches. "Almost 100 per cent [of respondents] say patients are waiting more than 12 hours in ED frequently to daily, with mental health patients sometimes waiting up to seven days or more for admission, often sedated in non-designated areas," Ms Thomas said. She also said nurses were treating patients in areas like hallways, because there were no beds available. A spokesperson for Health Minister Tim Nicholls said he was aware of the union's concerns and the government had allocated $33 billion for health in the state budget to improve the state's health and hospital services. Ms Thomas said an independent audit into performance reporting data was necessary to understand how to fix the issue. "Someone is going to die, potentially, and this needs to be actioned." Ms Blackler said the hospital recognised EDs were not suitable for long-term care and the service is committed to reducing the number of patients spending more than 24 hours in the ED. She said, while there was longer term planning underway, they had utilised other spaces at both Rockhampton and Gladstone to expand ED beds. There are 23 mental health beds at the Rockhampton Hospital, which services central and central-west Queensland — a population of more than 200,000. Dr Boulanger said the Gladstone Hospital desperately needed its services upgraded, including inpatient mental health beds. The mental health unit in Rockhampton is undergoing a $92 million expansion to increase the number of beds to 32. It is due to be complete in 2026. Gladstone has a step-up and step-down mental health facility, which provides a 24-hour residential service for adults needing sub-acute mental health services. But Dr Gaston said many people were too ill for that level of treatment. For several years he has also called on the health service to build an ICU at the Gladstone Hospital. He said it would attract specialists which would improve health outcomes, including in the emergency department. "For instance, if you have patient who needs to see a cardiologist in Gladstone, the only way is to go to another facility because Gladstone doesn't have a cardiologist," Dr Boulanger said. "In any other hospital, the cardiologist will come to the ED… they treat the patient, and the patient can go home." The health service said the region was well serviced by the ICU in Rockhampton, but it is continually monitoring demand.
CTV News
30-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
CTV National News: Disturbing details from a network of men who allegedly drug and rape partners
Watch Avery Haines says one man inside the network of men who drug and assaults their wives alleges he has been sedating women for 20 years.
News.com.au
29-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Shock footage of a kangaroo in a Chinese zoo has sparked concern
A Chinese zoo has been accused of 'sedating' kangaroos after footage emerged of one seemingly passed out in the dirt. In footage shared to social media, the Aussie native can be seen lying on its back as visitors gather around, petting and even attempting to hold its hand. The red kangaroo keeps its eyes completely closed and only manages to pull its hand away once before another person goes to hold it. In a second clip, what appears to be the same kangaroo is seen lying on its back unresponsive with its eyes closed as people hover over it. One person offers the marsupial some food that it attempts to eat before dropping its head to the side. The clips, which were filmed on May 18, saw many branding the scenes 'amusing' and 'entertaining.' Viewers were quick to praise the 'calm and sleepy' animal for remaining calm and being so good around people. However, others expressed their concerns, suggesting the kangaroo may have been sedated in order to keep it docile around visitors. Prominent Victorian wildlife carer, Helen Round, has been working with kangaroos for over a decade. The 56-year-old from East Trentham is a fierce defender of the native animal and works tirelessly to raise, rehabilitate and release them. Speaking to Ms Round revealed that the animal 'very well could be' under sedation. 'It wouldn't be the first time that an animal in an Asian zoo was sedated,' she said. Although red kangaroos have a habit on lying on their backs to 'sun themselves', Ms Round believes this is likely not the case with this footage. She further revealed that it's hardly unheard of for kangaroos and other wild Australian animals to end up in foreign zoos or ownership. 'They are shipped all over the world, all you need is a license to sell,' she said. Just last month, a frazzled runaway kangaroo temporarily shut down an interstate highway in Alabama before it was shot and sedated. The owner, Patrick Starr, told the Associated Press that his family runs a petting zoo but Sheila (the kangaroo) is just a pet. 'People fancy the idea of having a pet kangaroo but they're not an animal that is meant for domesticity. Very few of them are suitable to be kept as pets,' said Ms Round. Concerns around the sedation of wild animals at zoos first came into the spotlight in 2016 when a clip of a heavily sedated lion being used as a photo prop in Thailand went viral. In the footage, a park worker repeatedly pushed a drugged lion cub's head up while visitors draped their arms over it and urged it to say 'cheese' for the camera. In 2018, a kangaroo was viciously stoned to death by visitors at a Chinese zoo because it didn't display its signature hop. The 12-year-old female kangaroo suffered a severely injured foot when it was struck by bricks and concrete chunks and died just days later from a reported ruptured kidney as a result. In 2020, a woman sparked outrage after taking photos of herself holding the testicles of a presumed sedated tiger at a Chiang Mai wildlife park. Animal sedation raises serious ethical concerns about the treatment and wellbeing of animals. They may experience health risks or distress from sedation such as unnatural behaviour that misrepresents their true nature. Under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, the maximum penalty for a wildlife trade offence is 10 years imprisonment or a fine of up to $210,000 for an individual. Despite these penalties, wildlife trafficking remains a significant issue, with reports of increased illegal activity in recent years. Wildlife trafficking reports in Queensland alone have doubled over the past two years, with the scale of the problem potentially reaching 'catastrophic' levels. It is estimated that wildlife trafficking is the fourth-largest organised crime globally, worth over $450 billion a year.
