Earlier this year, an anesthesiologist in Texas was accused of tampering with IV bags and causing a colleague’s death. According to NBC News, the Texas Medical Board suspended the anesthesiologist after he was suspected of contaminating several IV bags that later caused harm to patients, including causing a fellow anesthesiologist at the hospital to lose her life.
Reportedly, the IV bags that were tampered with had tiny holes in them and contained bupivacaine, a local anesthetic. However, the IV bags were not supposed to contain bupivacaine and nothing on their labels indicated that they contained it.
Dr. Melanie Kasper, who is the anesthesiologist who died from using one of the tainted IV bags, took the IV bag home with her to rehydrate because she wasn’t feeling well. Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz, the anesthesiologist who is suspected of tampering with the IV bags, was seen on camera handling the IV bags prior to them being given to patients.
In addition to Dr. Kasper, another otherwise healthy person was given one of the tainted IV bags. The person, who was a patient, suffered a serious cardiac event during a routine surgery. Tests on the IV bag given to the patient revealed it had been contaminated with the same drugs that led to Dr. Kasper’s death.
As of this report, the FBI is conducting an ongoing criminal investigation.
When Can I Sue a Doctor for Medical Malpractice in Florida?
Doctors and other medical professionals in Florida are required to meet a certain standard of care. When they don’t meet that standard, patients may be able to sue them for medical malpractice. Examples of instances where a doctor could be considered to have failed to meet that standard of care include the following:
- Failing to properly treat a patient in a timely manner
- Misdiagnosing a patient
- Failing to use proper techniques while performing surgery
- Failing to diagnose a patient in a timely manner
- Leaving a foreign object inside a patient while performing surgery
- Failing to prescribe proper medication to a patient
- Using contaminated or defective medication/equipment on a patient
- Failing to prescribe the correct dosage of medication to a patient
Schedule a Free Consultation with Our Experienced Medical Malpractice Attorneys in Weston
For years, our team of medical malpractice attorneys at Rash Mueller have been helping victims of medical negligence and their families fight back against those who did them harm.
Our medical malpractice lawyers have more than four decades of collective experience, and during that time, we have brought negligent medical professionals and facilities to justice, including securing compensation for our clients for current and future medical costs, loss of income, funeral expenses, and pain and suffering.
To learn more about how medical malpractice is handled in Florida, give us a call at (954) 914-7116 or contact us online today for a free, no-obligation consultation with our experienced medical malpractice lawyers in Weston.