Police in Medford, Oregon, are conducting a criminal investigation due to multiple deaths at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center.
According to NBC 5 News, several sources said multiple patients died as a result of infections at the hospital.
The infections resulted from a nurse allegedly switching medication with tap water.
“Multiple sources say an Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center nurse injected multiple patients with tap water in an attempt to cover up their misuse of the hospital’s supply of pain medication, specifically fentanyl,” NBC 5 News wrote.
As many as nine or ten people reportedly developed infections and died.
The Rogue Valley Times reports families in Grants Pass and Klamath Falls were notified of the deaths of their family members from an infection caused by a nurse replacing fentanyl with non-sterile tap water.https://t.co/abfGAAKmYV
— KATU News (@KATUNews) January 2, 2024
NBC 5 News reports:
Medford police declined to provide details, only confirming it is investigating a situation at RRMC.
Our sources tell us the tap water, which is not sterile, led to multiple infections of pseudomonas.
The host of our Docs on Call program, Doctor Robin Miller says that type of infection can be very dangerous in people in poor health; exactly the kind of people you’d find in a hospital’s ICU.
No individuals have been charged with a crime at this time.
“It could cause sepsis, pneumonia, it could infect all the organs, so it could be a very severe infection,” said Dr. Robin Miller, according to Complex.
Several Patients Dead After Nurse Reportedly Injected Them With Tap Water Instead of Fentanyl https://t.co/KUndkiBwRn
— Complex (@Complex) January 1, 2024
Per Complex:
The Asante Rogue Medical Center released a statement saying, “We were distressed to learn of this issue. We reported it to law enforcement and are working closely with them.”
As of press time, no one was arrested or charged, and Medford Police provided no more details. They only confirmed there’s an open investigation at the medical center.
Dr. Miller commented that switching out a patient’s medication for personal misuse is called ‘drug diversion.’
Fentanyl is reportedly among the most commonly diverted drugs.
“But what Dr. Miller doesn’t understand, is why tap water was allegedly used. She says there should be sterile options available that wouldn’t put patients at risk,” NBC 5 News noted.
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