A judge ruled Thursday that hospital staff cannot take a Buffalo, Minnesota, man off life support.
District Court Judge Jennifer Stanfield temporarily prohibited Mercy Hospital from removing Scott Quiner from a ventilator, KARE 11 reported. His wife, Anne Quiner, filed a request for a temporary restraining order after hospital staff told her they were planning to turn off his ventilator Jan. 13.
Scott Quiner was diagnosed with COVID-19 last fall and hospitalized in Waconia in October. His wife Anne told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that Scott has been at Mercy Hospital since November and he remains sedated and on a ventilator. https://t.co/DZiP6wMzri
— KSTP (@KSTP) January 14, 2022
Scott Quiner fell ill with COVID-19 in late October and was admitted to Waconia Hospital, where he was put on a ventilator before being transferred Nov. 6 to Mercy ICU, according to a GoFundMe set up to pay for his medical expenses.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Feb. 11. Anne Quiner and the hospital will reportedly be expected to present arguments on the legal authority to remove life support in the state. (RELATED: With Omicron, A Key COVID-19 Metric Has Become Highly Misleading)
Anne Quiner objected to the hospital’s decision to remove her husband from life support, leading to the dispute. In a court filing, she claimed to be seeking more time to find a different facility for him.
Allina Health told KARE 11 it could not comment on specific patients’ cases, but that it would “follow the court’s orders” in this instance.