Whether any arrests have been made in connection with the incident remains unclear.
Ten patients died at an Oregon hospital after claims that a nurse changed fentanyl intravenous infusions with tap water, prompting inquiries into pharmaceutical theft.
According to the New York Post, last month, officials at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Centre in Medford contacted the police after suspecting a former employee of medicine theft. Various hospital sources reported conflicting death tolls, with some reporting nine deaths and others reporting a total of ten.
Multiple sources said that the involved nurse gave patients non-sterile tap water while hiding the misuse of the hospital’s pain medicines, including fentanyl.
According to the Rogue Valley Times, the substitution has affected patients since at least the fall of 2022.
Hospital authorities told the relatives of two deceased patients, Samuel Allison (36) and Barry Samsten (74), that their deaths were caused by illnesses caused by the substitution of their pain medicine with non-sterile tap water.
Lt. Geoff Kirkpatrick of the Medford Police Department expressed worry that such activity might have resulted in poor patient care; however, the degree of the damage has yet to be confirmed.
He declined to identify a clear relationship between the fatalities and medicine theft, instead focusing on an ongoing inquiry into potential negative patient consequences.
The police department has informed affected patients of the medicine exchange but has not divulged the actual number of fatalities or people affected.
The hospital released a statement expressing its dismay at the situation and confirming its cooperation with law enforcement authorities.
On Wednesday, the Oregon Health Authority announced an investigation into “reports that the incidents resulted in healthcare-associated infections that severely injured, and may have caused the deaths of, several patients.” It is unknown whether any arrests have been made in connection with this incident.__thefridaytimes.com
