Father seeks answers after son dies in hospital waiting room

The sudden death of 38-year-old entrepreneur Luka Palatinuš from Palovac, Međimurje, has raised questions about his treatment at the County Hospital in Čakovec. Palatinuš died on the night of August 19-20 after collapsing in the waiting room of the Unified Hospital Emergency Department.

His father, Stjepan Palatinuš, believes his son, who arrived at the hospital with chest pain and extremely high blood pressure, was not taken seriously. "Luka came to the emergency room that night due to high blood pressure and chest pain. It was his third visit for the same problem. I think they didn't take him seriously enough," he told eMedjimurje. He recounted that his son pleaded for admission, and his wife was with him when he collapsed around 1:30 AM.

The County Hospital in Čakovec presented a different account to 24sata. They stated Palatinuš arrived at 10:34 PM on August 19. "Immediately upon arrival, the patient's medical history was taken with the complaints he himself stated. According to the data obtained, the patient was assigned a 3rd triage category. Blood was drawn immediately, blood pressure and pulse were measured, an EKG was performed, and initial therapy was given," the hospital stated.

The hospital claims that around 11:45 PM, after laboratory results were available, Palatinuš was called for another examination. They assert that the findings at that time showed no deviations, and he was recommended to have blood drawn again after approximately one hour, returning to the waiting room until then. This sequence raises questions about whether the initial assessment was sufficient for a patient presenting with chest pain and very high blood pressure, especially if he had sought medical attention for similar issues previously.