The man, Brandon Harris, was mentally-handicapped and had been referred by his doctor to the Emory Sleep Center in Atlanta for a sleep study that could help establish whether or not he had obstructive sleep apnea.
According to the TV station, Harris’ family said it was risky for Harris to lie on his back for long periods of time - because he was overweight and had congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, diabetes and high blood pressure.
During the study, Harris started gesturing and asked, ‘Am I dying?’
Georgia state senator Vincent Fort said the sleep center staff should have acted more quickly to help Harris.
“Brandon knew that he was in a situation that was life-threatening,” Fort told MyFoxAtlanta. “They should have done more than just reassure him that he was OK. They should have done the things necessary to save his life.”
Harris’ death has prompted a wrongful death lawsuit, as well as a new bill, which would provide tougher regulations on Georgia’s sleep centers – such as 24-hour staffing and defibrillators being placed in each room
