Mount Sinai West Hospital in New York City redirected incoming patients to other hospitals Jan. 8 after a 31-year-old man jumped from the roof of a nearby building around 2 a.m., hitting a pressurized line that sends oxygen to the hospital, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Patients who were already admitted in the hospital and in need of oxygen were moved to different parts of the building.
Only the facility's backup oxygen supply was affected, and the diverting of incoming patients and relocation of those already inside the hospital was precautionary, according to the report. A line connecting the hospital's oxygen tank to a vaporizer was damaged, but the supply of oxygen to the hospital was never disturbed.
Mount Sinai West Hospital obtained a portable oxygen system from a Pennsylvania vendor within hours, and a repair crew was brought on site by a police escort from New Jersey. The problem was resolved and the hospital stopped diverting patients from its emergency room by 6 a.m.
Police said the man jumped from a window on the 31st floor of his apartment building, which is adjacent to the hospital. He was found on the ground where the hospital's oxygen equipment is kept. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the report.
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