Police are investigating at the very least one incident on the hospital. (Consultant pic)
As many as 10 sufferers in america could have died after a nurse at an Oregon hospital allegedly swapped fentanyl intravenous (IV) drips with faucet water. In accordance with the New York Submit, police are investigating the theft of remedy prescribed to sufferers at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Middle in Medford. The case got here to gentle after officers on the hospital alerted the cops early final month that they believed a former worker had stolen remedy.
Citing sources NBC affiliate KOBIreported that 9 to 10 individuals on the hospital had died from infections. Sources additionally informed the outlet that the nurse had injected the sufferers with non-sterile faucet water to cowl up their misuse of the hospital’s provide of ache remedy, particularly fentanyl. The alleged swap had been affecting sufferers since at the very least the autumn of 2022, KOBI reported.
Two individuals whose kinfolk died at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Middle mentioned that hospital officers notified them that the deaths have been as a consequence of infections ensuing from their ache remedy being changed with non-sterile faucet water.
In accordance with the Post, police in Medford confirmed that they’re now investigating at the very least one incident on the hospital. “There was concern that this behaviour resulted in adversarial affected person care, although the extent of the impression on these sufferers is but to be decided,” Medford police mentioned in a press release. Nonetheless, they declined to verify whether or not the deaths resulted from remedy theft or tampering.
“We’re investigating whether or not or not that behaviour led to adversarial affected person care, which could possibly be dying, could possibly be all kinds of different types or issues. … We do not know that that resulted in deaths,” cops mentioned.
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The police division acknowledged that they’d notified any sufferers impacted by the swap. However they declined to say how many individuals have died or been impacted.
The hospital, alternatively, mentioned that they have been “distressed to study of this subject”. “We reported it to legislation enforcement and are working carefully with them,” the hospital mentioned.
The Oregon Well being Authority has confirmed that it was investigating “stories that the incidents led to healthcare-associated infections that severely injured, and should have precipitated the deaths of, a number of sufferers”. However it stays unclear if any arrests have been made stemming from the incident.
