A United States' doctor, Raynaldo Ortiz, has been found guilty of injecting life-threatening hazardous drugs into IV bags used during surgeries at Dallas-based Baylor Scott and White Surgicare center. Ortiz, who is an anesthesiologist was believed to have conducted this abuse in retaliation for misconduct during the investigation. Officials who probed into the case believed that he tampered with the IV bags by adding medications like nerve blockers and bronchodilators. These substances caused cardiac emergencies in several patients and also killed a fellow octor Melanie Kaspar.
According to media reports, a jury convicted Ortiz of 10 counts against him, including charges related to the death of Kaspar, who died after using a contaminated bag of IV at home. A post-mortem report confirmed that Kaspar's death was caused by bupivacaine poisoning, a numbing substance typically used during surgery but rarely abused.
Surveillance video from the corridors of the surgical centre, shared by US Attorney N. Texas shows Ortiz tampering with an IV bag shortly before a patient suffered a cardiac arrest.
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According to a report by Fox News, a 12-person jury found Ortiz guilty on all 10 counts after seven hours of discussion. During the ruling, Ortiz was reportedly wearing a mask and showed no emotion.
"There's no closure. My best friend is gone. I don't think he ever looked me in the eye... It's almost like you have so many emotions you can't sift them out. You get flooded," John Kaspar, Melanie Kaspar's husband voiced after the verdict was announced.
Media reports said that between May and August 2022, 13 patients experienced cardiac emergencies, however, the prosecutors charged Ortiz with causing bodily harm to only four patients during that period.
The US doctor is expected to be sentenced in two to three months.