A nurse at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Oregon allegedly switched medication for tap water, resulting in the deaths of ten patients as confirmed by NBC5.
According to NBC5, which cited numerous unnamed sources, at least ten patients at the Medford hospital were allegedly injected with tap water in an attempt to cover up a nurse’s overuse of fentanyl, a pain medicine.
NBC5 further stated hospital sources claim that contaminated tap water caused Pseudomonas illnesses.
“It [tap water] could cause sepsis, pneumonia, and it could infect all of the organs, so it could be a very severe infection,” said Dr. Robin Miller, host of NBC’s Docs on Call.
Miller defined the process of switching prescriptions as “drug diversion,” adding that around 10% of medical professionals do so.
Fentanyl is one of the most often trafficked narcotics.
No one has been charged as of the time of this story. The event is currently being investigated by police.
While the number of patients has not been established, The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that a police probe into the medication diversion incident is in the “early stages.”
A spokesman for the Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center verified to Oregon Live that the problem had been reported to law authorities. They refused to confirm the number of people who perished or were injured.