An unvaccinated 55 year-old who is being kept alive by a ventilator after catching COVID has been moved from Minnesota to Texas after his wife won a restraining order against a hospital's decision to disconnect him from life support.
Fifty-five-year-old Scott Quiner, of Buffalo, was a patient at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids where he was set to have his ventilator shut off on January 13, despite his wife Anne's insistence that he should remain hooked up to breathing support.
He had been in hospital since October 31 but doctors had determined that it was time to end his treatment after he suffered lung failure.
But Anne sought an injunction against the hospital to prevent them from switching off his ventilator, and a judge ruled in her favor.
This weekend, he was flown to an unnamed facility in Texas, the family's attorney said, where treatment is continuing.
'Scott is now in a hospital in Texas getting critical care,' said attorney Marjorie Holsten.
Scott Quiner, 55, who is unvaccinated, caught COVID and was being kept alive by a ventilator
Mercy Hospital in Minnesota wanted to switch his ventilator off but he has now been moved from to a Texas facility in order to keep him alive
'The doctor said Scott was the most undernourished patient he has ever seen. The last update I got was yesterday afternoon after some tests had been run; all organs are working except his lungs.'
He is now said to be 'receiving necessary nutrition, hydration, and treatments that were requested of the Minnesota hospital and not provided.
'We believe he has turned the corner and is taking baby steps in the right direction,' Holsten added. It is unclear if a lung transplant has been lined up.
Allina Health, which operates Mercy Hospital, issued a statement saying it is grateful the family was able to find a health care facility that will meet their needs.
'We continue to wish them all the best,' the statement said.
An Anoka County judge granted a petition from Quiner's wife, Anne, pictured right, that prevented Mercy from disconnecting the ventilator
The hospital also pushed back on criticism of their treatment of Scott so far.
'Allina Health has great confidence in the exceptional care provided to our patients, which is administered according to evidence-based practices by our talented and compassionate medical teams,' the statement continued.
Scott Quiner's case drew widespread attention last week after Mercy Hospital said it would disconnect the ventilator on Thursday.
Quiner, who was unvaccinated, had been in the hospital's intensive care unit since November 6 with critically low oxygen levels and had shown little signs of improvement since his arrival, the Star Tribune reported.
A picture of his chart that was included in his wife's court filing noted on January 12 that his 'care plan' called for ventilator support to come to an end on January 13.
'Family would be able to be present at the bedside,' the chart reads.
Quiner's wife, Anne, went to court in Anoka County court one day before his machine was due to be switched off, seeking an emergency restraining order to prevent Mercy from disconnecting the ventilator.
Quiner's wife, Anne, left, went to court in Anoka County court one day before his machine was due to be switched off, seeking an emergency restraining order to prevent Mercy from disconnecting Scott's ventilator
Quiner said the decision by the hospital would 'end my husband's life' and appealed for a restraining order against the hospital.
Without a judge's decision, 'my husband will die,' Anne wrote in her petition to the court.
'I have advised the doctors that I vehemently disagree with this action and do not want my husband's ventilator turned off,' court papers said.
Anoka County Judge Jennifer Stanfield ruled in favor of Anne Quiner's request and had set a hearing to be held online February 11.
'I don't think the judge wanted to be on the wrong side of saying, "Well, of course, you should be able to pull the plug,"' attorney Holsten said.
'I think the world is watching what is going on with Scott, and as he gets better and better, we're gonna see that, you know what, there are protocols that should be used that hospitals have not been using,' Holsten told Fox 9.
'I'm hoping that changes are going to be made as a result of this case.'
So far, Quiner’s case has drawn attention across the country, and his family has raised more than $70,000 on a Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo and GoFundMe.
Allina Health, which operates Mercy, pictured, issued a statement saying it is grateful the family was able to find a health care facility that will meet their needs
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