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Fertility nurse admits to replacing fentanyl with saline

On Behalf of | Mar 12, 2021 | Medical Malpractice

Learning that a medical worker’s negligence caused a deteriorating medical condition is indescribable. People nationwide, including in Delaware, typically trust medical facilities to provide care of an acceptable standard. However, such trust is sometimes violated. A nurse in another state recently pleaded guilty to criminal charges that arose from allegations that she tampered with consumer products. 

The method used to tamper with medication 

Reportedly, the 49-year-old accused woman is a former outpatient nurse at a fertility clinic. Court documents indicate that the nurse replaced narcotics from vials by using a syringe to withdraw it. She then injected saline into the vials to disguise her actions. According to investigators, the narcotic she removed was fentanyl. They determined that the adulteration of the narcotics occurred from June 2020 through October 2020. 

The consequences of the tampering 

Investigators further revealed that about 75% of the fentanyl administered to patients during that period was not fentanyl but saline. Until the negligence was discovered, the women who were victims of this negligence reported traumatic and excruciating pain. Typically, fentanyl was administered to reduce the pain after surgery. No additional pain relief medication was allowed because the defendant’s actions were still unknown. 

Her reason for the tampering 

According to the complaint, the fertility clinic nurse withdrew the fentanyl for her own use. The defendant’s employers ended her employment, and she had to give up her nursing license. Regardless of the outcome of criminal charges, the victims of her negligence are entitled to pursue financial relief through the state’s civil justice system. Anyone in Delaware who is in a similar situation could file a medical malpractice lawsuit to recover financial losses and other damages like pain and suffering. 

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