Two months before an 18-year-old kid almost died during surgery at the same institution, Dallas police launched an investigation into the death of an anesthesiologist who had a heart attack after dosing herself with IV fluids she carried home from the surgical centre where she worked.
The probe comes after Dr. Melanie Kaspar, 55, died of cardiac death in June after she carried an IV bag home from Surgicare North Dallas and connected herself up to it because she was feeling thirsty.
Minutes after inserting the IV, she had a heart attack in the $1 million home she lives with her 56-year-old actuary husband John.
Medical examiners determined that the harmful side effects of the anaesthetic medication bupivacaine were to blame.
During a surgery at Surgicare North Dallas in August, a terrifying blood pressure increase occurred in an 18-year-old kid who had to be placed on a ventilator.
He had to stop his usual nose surgery to get his deviated septum fixed in order to take the child directly to critical care. For a week, the kid was placed on a ventilator. Since then, he has healed, and the nose surgery is finally finished.
Following the discovery of an IV bag that “looked to have been contaminated,” Surgicare North Dallas suspended operations last week, according to a statement from the hospital.
According to NBC 5, the hacked luggage may have been connected to both events according to sources close to the inquiry.
The bag’s breach has not been explained by authorities, and it is not apparent if the criminal inquiry focuses on medical malpractice or potential tampering.
The 18-year-old youngster was involved in an incident on August 18 during which the teenager started having serious respiratory issues.
He was put on a ventilator after being taken to a local hospital in a hurry. After the event, he was detained in the hospital for five days.
Bruce Steckler, an attorney representing the boy’s family, told The Dallas Morning News that he was investigating the facility’s IV bag maintenance procedures and the security of their storage.
Being informed that your 18-year-old son had a 50/50 chance of surviving following a routine treatment has been a dreadful experience, as you might imagine, he added.
When DailyMail.com approached the hospital for comment, they were unable to do so.
The surgical centre’s owner, Baylor Scott and White, was likewise unreachable but had previously said in a statement that it was cooperating with the inquiry.
There is nothing more essential than the safety and well-being of our patients, the statement stated, adding that “we remain dedicated on aiding investigators.”