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How Knox County deaths led to Helene flood deaths

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The deadly flooding in Tennessee from the remnants of Hurricane Helene hit communities east of Knox County, but one of the disaster's fatalities was recorded in the region's most populous county.

How is that possible?

According to an autopsy report obtained by Knox News, Kathy Ailor, 74, died on Sept. 30, three days after her dialysis treatment for end-stage kidney disease was interrupted by a power outage.

Although Ailor's immediate cause of death was complications from kidney disease requiring dialysis and hypertensive heart disease, a power outage at a local treatment center on September 27 was a significant contributing factor. The power outage was caused by the tropical storm and the Knox County woman's death is believed to be an indirect result of the historic flooding.

The Knoxville Utilities Board confirmed in an email that the dialysis clinic, 5811 E. Governor John Sevier Highway, lost power from 12:03 to 1:12 p.m. on Sept. 27 after a tree fell on a power line. There were no power outages at the clinic's South Knoxville location.

Ailor received dialysis three times a week for about two and a half hours each time. About 24 minutes after she was treated on Sept. 27, the power went out. The clinic did not reschedule the treatment completion date, but recommended that she return for her next set of treatments on September 30th.

Her caregivers at Sertoma of Knoxville, a nonprofit center that serves adults with intellectual disabilities, were ordered to monitor her and seek medical attention if needed. A caretaker reported that Ailor was restless on September 29th and into the early hours of September 30th.

Her supervisor carried out regular checks on her. After Ailor called in the middle of the night, her caregiver checked her blood pressure and found it to be extremely high. Ailor soon stopped responding. Dispatch called emergency responders at 4:25 a.m

According to the autopsy report, the Knoxville Police Department notified the Knox County Regional Forensic Center at 4:46 a.m. Sept. 30 of a death at a Sertoma home. A death investigator pronounced Ailor dead at 5:16 a.m

According to the autopsy report, Ailor had many chronic health problems. An obituary said she lived with “severe cerebral palsy” and needed around-the-clock help. According to the report, she had been in Sertoma's care for about 30 years and her health had been deteriorating for a year.

Police officers had no concerns about a crime and did not take part in the autopsy.

Counties report direct and indirect deaths from flooding

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency directed county officials to report deaths directly and indirectly caused by the flooding, said Chris Thomas, director of the Knox County Regional Forensic Center. The district has no influence on whether a death is included in the final bill.

TEMA also has no influence on whether or not deaths are included in the total, which is decided through a “rigorous process” led by the state Department of Health, said TEMA spokeswoman Kristin Coulter.

“TEMA makes no inquiries about who is included and who is not. We’re just given that number and that’s what we report,” Coulter told Knox News.

According to TEMA's latest report, released October 21, there were 17 deaths in Tennessee from Hurricane Helene.

Nashville-based Dialysis Clinic is the largest nonprofit dialysis provider with more than 250 outpatient dialysis clinics in 30 states.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, missing dialysis treatment poses a risk. The treatment not only filters out waste and excess fluid in the blood, but also helps control blood pressure.

A 2020 report from the National Institute for Health and Care Research in the United Kingdom examined 3.8 million dialysis sessions and found that patients who missed their first or last session of the week and went four days without dialysis were more likely to have one Admission was twice as likely to be hospitalized or die compared to patients who missed their midweek session.

“When patients miss a scheduled session, the serious health risks increase dramatically,” the report said.

Daniel Dassow is a growth and development reporter focusing on technology and energy. Phone 423-637-0878. Email [email protected].

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