Dr. Raynaldo Ortiz, a Dallas anesthesiologist, was found guilty of injecting harmful medicines into IV bags used during surgeries at Baylor Scott & White Surgicare. Prosecutors suspect this was done as revenge for a misbehavior investigation.
According to media sources, a jury convicted Ortiz on all ten counts, including allegations relating to the death of Dr. Melanie Kaspar, a colleague physician. Dr. Kaspar died after using a tainted IV bag at home.
Investigators suspect Ortiz tampered with the IV bags by adding drugs as nerve blockers and bronchodilators
Investigators suspect Ortiz tampered with the IV bags, adding drugs such as nerve blockers and bronchodilators. These foreign substances caused cardiac issues in multiple patients, including Dr. Kaspar’s death.
Surveillance footage allegedly recorded Ortiz messing with an IV bag shortly before a patient suffered a heart attack. An autopsy determined that Dr. Kaspar died as a result of bupivacaine overdose, a numbing medication often used during surgery but rarely abused.
A 12-person jury found Dr. Raynaldo Ortiz guilty on all 10 counts
According to FOX 4 in Dallas, a 12-person jury found Dr. Raynaldo Ortiz guilty on all ten counts after roughly seven hours of deliberation.
Ortiz reportedly wore a mask and showed no emotion when the decision was read.
According to authorities, Ortiz’s actions caused multiple patients to have cardiac problems, and Dr. Melanie Kaspar died after using one of the IV bags.
“There’s no closure. My best friend is gone,” John Kaspar, Dr. Melanie Kaspar’s widower, reportedly said shortly after the verdict. “I don’t think he ever looked me in the eye… It’s almost like you have so many emotions that you can’t sift them out. You get flooded.”
According to Fox News, the witnesses brought to testify during the trial were John Kaspar, the anesthesiologist who discovered the bags were contaminated, and a minor who suffered cardiac collapse during nose surgery.
It all started two days after Ortiz was notified of a disciplinary probe against him for his handling of a medical emergency
It all began two days after Ortiz was notified of a disciplinary probe against him for his handling of a medical emergency. Ortiz informed other doctors that the center was attempting to ‘crucify’ him.
Fox News stated that 13 patients had identical cardiac problems between May and August 2022. Ortiz is expected to be sentenced in two to three months. He faces up to life in prison, according to the reports