DALLAS, TX – Anesthesiologist Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr. last week was sentenced to 190 years of prison time for intentionally tampering with surgical bags at Surgicare North Dallas, causing numerous cardiac emergencies and one death of a coworker, according to MedPage Today, quoting Associated Press.
Ortiz allegedly created a concoction of “nerve-blocking” agents and “other drugs” in the IV bags that would be used at the surgical center for a variety of patients. Following a medical emergency, Ortiz was accused of deviating, “from the standard of care during an anesthesia procedure,” MedPage Today states.
Despite past reprimands, Ortiz “complained to other physicians that the center was trying to “crucify” him,” MedPage Today claims.
Based on court documents, Ortiz, “waived his appearance at sentencing in federal court,” during his Sept 2022 conviction, preventing justice from being served, MedPage Today reported.
Ortiz’s attorney failed to comment.
Based on the prosecutor’s testimony, throughout May and August 2022, many Surgicare North Dallas patients experienced cardiac emergencies with simple medical checkups by a variety of doctors. A fellow anesthesiologist at Surgicare also died due to Ortiz’s tampered IV bag, according to the prosecutor.
Ortiz was determined the sole cause of these medical mishaps, said staff at Surgicare North Dallas.
Proceeding his arrest, “10 additional unexpected cardiac emergencies” were identified, according to MedPage Today. This mismatch between the high rate of cardiac emergencies during a short span of time links these injustices to Ortiz.
The Texas Medical Board suspended Ortiz’s medical license after his arrest.
