US News: Anaesthetist Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr sentenced to 190 years in prison for tampering with IV bags during surgeries
An anaesthetist has been sentenced to 190 years in prison for tampering with IV bags by injecting dangerous drugs into them.
Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr added a nerve blocking agent and other substances to the bags while working at Surgicare North Dallas.
An investigation was initiated after a medic named Melanie Kaspar took a contaminated bag home to help with her dehydration and tragically passed away.
Following a series of 10 cardiac emergencies during routine surgeries, authorities began to suspect Ortiz’s involvement in the incidents.
The staff at the surgical center noticed a pattern of deliberate adulteration of IV bags in these cases.
Shortly after being informed of a disciplinary inquiry related to an anesthesia incident where he allegedly failed to meet the standard of care, the emergencies began two days later.
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Ortiz, who had faced previous disciplinary actions, expressed to colleagues that he felt unfairly targeted by the center.
He was taken into custody in September 2022 and subsequently faced trial in April 2024.
During the trial, jurors were shown security footage of Ortiz filling syringes with various drugs on the day of one of the victim’s surgeries, with a coworker testifying that there was no justifiable reason for his actions captured on camera.
