Accidental injection death of wrong drug: Ex-nurse on trial
ABC News
The attorney for a former Tennessee nurse on trial in the death of a patient accidentally injected with a paralyzing drug told jurors the woman is being blamed for systemic problems at the medical center where she had worked
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The attorney for a former Tennessee nurse on trial in the death of a patient accidentally injected with a paralyzing drug told jurors Tuesday the woman is being blamed for systemic problems at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
RaDonda Vaught, 37, is facing a charge of reckless homicide for administering the drug vecuronium to 75-year-old Charlene Murphey instead of the sedative Versed on Dec. 26, 2017.
Murphey had been admitted to the hospital two days earlier after developing a headache and losing vision in one eye. On the 26th, doctors ordered a PET scan to check for cancer, but Murphey was claustrophobic and asked for medication to control her anxiety, according to testimony.
Vaught could not find Versed in an automatic drug dispensing cabinet because it was listed under the generic name midazolam. Instead she used an override mechanism to type in “VE” then grabbed vecuromium, according to court records. Vaught left the imaging area after injecting the drug, but minutes later another employee noticed Murphey was unresponsive.
