Table of Contents
A. History of Acculi Labs
In COVID we saved 1493 patients, and there was 1 death. I still remember that failed case hour by hour and not the successes.
Same way in the last year we solved and saved lives in19 impossible cases, but had a recent loss, and a devastating one. Here are the mistakes I made.
B. The Mistakes Made in the Failure Case
Unlike other Lyfas case studies, where we have presented the details of the patient(anonymously), we would be masking the details of the patient, as this is the second death we observed in our six years of operation and such abandoned data can easily be recognized.
The objective of this article is not to provide the details of the case, but rather to keep a pointer of the mistakes that I made, which I could(should) have avoided.
1. Phone
I have not used phones for the last year, but last 60 days. When people trust you with life, relatives, phones, friends, and TV are out of life. Some minutes every day were enough to take away precious time.
2. Study and Research
The outcome of any case depends upon the investment of 90% of resources into the study. The study, research, and nothing else. I did not invest 2 hours a day on the case, every day. Poor study=poor outcome.
3. Silly Issues of Silly People
Not everyone deals with life and death. And so they do not understand the criticalities. I have spent more time dealing with silly drama and tantrums of people than I ever do. I forgot my simple principle “When people take away your energy, eliminate them from life.” People draw you into their drama, not force you. The choice was still mine.
4. Finance
Healthcare needs funds for research, every day, and a lot. Finance doesn’t run with hope and optimism. ₹1 profit >>> ₹5 crore promise. Every second of my life is for business, science, technology, and patients. I spent 30 days entertaining investors. When you forget your own principles, you suffer.
5. Decisions
Patients are emotionally vulnerable and down. I have always been an egoist and took decisions. But for this case, I left the patient with several decisions. A bad but timely decision is always better than a decision paralysis of infinity.
6. Data
The cost of tests and data is always lesser than the cost of a life. Our success in impossible cases has come due to uncompromising data-driven decisions. In this case, I forgot this one fundamental. Urging, forcing, and following up on data is the only key. For the first time, I left it on the patient.
7. Patient Support System
The outcome of any case depends only and only on the family support of the patient. We have always worked to educate the family and keep the care providers in good spirits and health. In this case, I again forgot the fundamentals and did not pay attention to the lack of family involvement in care.
8. One patient is more knowledgeable than the entire healthcare and internet
I have always learned from one patient while serving another. An existing patient teaches you every second more than a book in a lifetime. Again, I forgot my fundamentals. No existing patient in the support and knowledge-providing team.
C. How We Learn from Failures and Not Success
People, relatives, friends, colleagues, or anyone may feel and think anything they like because they have the time to sit and feel in their world of fantasy. They are not dealing with life and death, so they don’t know what death is.
When dealing with life and death, the pressure and stress can exhaust and outburn anyone in the care. And so, one has to be mindful of his/her energy and emotions. It is paramount to withdraw from the external world and focus on the cases. If one cares for others even for a second, he/she won’t be able to care for life. There is no second take in life.
Most people are delusional. They live in a fantasy world of tomorrow and create worry from thin air, and ruminate about the past. There is neither any tomorrow, nor past, nor worry, nor enthusiasm. Whatever we have is now, right now, and today, at this moment. It has taken 20 years of discipline for me to live today, and just 20 days to forget this discipline.
Successes teach us nothing. In fact, success makes us narcissistic and we feel we know a shit. Nothing teaches and disciplines you more than life does.
No compromise, no people, no drama, no hope, no yesterday, no tomorrow. Merciless execution of plans till life is safe.
10. I Apologize
And to the lost life,
It is easy to create a narrative and escape from the accountability of a devastating outcome. It is easy to think, was it due to me, or several factors? But I wouldn’t permit myself to that escapism.
You are no more with us, due to only and only my stupidity and nothing else. I could choose not to become stupid but did not.
Forgiveness doesn’t take away the losses, nor does it compensate for the destroyed emotions. Wherever you are, live a good afterlife. I wouldn’t say “I tried”, but rather “I did not try enough.” You could be with us today if that was the only outcome I had focussed on. However, I did not. I made compromises, I made lapses, I lost focus, I lost concentration, and I lost sanity.
Nothing will ever compensate for this loss or console me, or make me cope. The only thing I can promise my dear beloved is THIS won’t EVER HAPPEN AGAIN EVER IN LIFE. I will live with the pain and the guilt for the rest of my life, but this won’t occur again. I promise you, not to leave it to luck ever.
Finally, you were brave. You fought, you survived, you tried, and against all odds. Spread the same love wherever you are. You will stay in my heart forever, every second to remind me of the duties.
D. Conclusion
I planned, and we as a team executed. Everything was great, till I became blind and stupid to forget fundamentals and principles.
When we deal with life and death, we need to be ruthless and merciless about the fundamentals and principles. Ruthless and uncompromising execution.
