Danny
Supporter
Joined: 23 Jul 2005
Posts: 343
Report abuse
|
 Posted: 07/31/07 - 06:30 Post subject: Transplant surgeon accused of administering drugs to speed u |
  |
|
Criminal charges were filed against a surgeon in California for prescribing excessive drugs to a comatose, disabled patient in order to speed up his death and harvest his organs for transplantation.
Prosecutors accused a 33-year-old Iranian-born U.S. citizen of giving excessive doses of morphine and a sedative to 26-year-old Ruben Navarro, who died in 2006.
The deceased man had a neurological disorder and was living in a healthcare facility in San Luis Obispo from which he was transferred to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center after suffering from respiratory and cardiac arrest. He was placed on a respirator there.
Dr. Roozrokh as well as Dr. Arturo Martinez and at least four other staff members were there to take him off life support and collect his organs. In order to do so, the patient needed to die within 30 minutes of being taken off the life supporter. Since this didn’t happen, Dr. Roozrokh was heard saying “Let's give him some more candy” administering 200 milligrams of morphine and 80 milligrams of the sedative Ativan-the complaint said.
These charges are the first of its kind in the U.S. against a physician for his role in a transplant and will certainly raise further uneasiness about a practice in which organs are retrieved before a patient is brain-dead.
Roozrokh's lawyer reported that Roozrokh has not committed a crime and that he has been unfairly subjected to an "18-month witch hunt.
Roozrokh is accused of dependent adult abuse, administering a harmful substance and unlawful controlled substance prescription. If convicted, he may face up to eight years in state prison or up to one year in jail and a $20,000 fine as a condition of probation. |
|
