Former nurse guilty of homicide in medication error death

A former Tennessee nurse is responsible of criminally negligent murder within the demise of a affected person who was by accident given the fallacious treatment, a jury discovered Friday. She was additionally discovered responsible of gross neglect of an impaired grownup in a case that has mounted the eye of affected person security advocates and nurses’ organizations across the nation.

RaDonda Vaught, 37, injected the paralyzing drug vecuronium into 75-year-old Charlene Murphey as an alternative of the sedative Versed Dec. 26, 2017. Vaught freely admitted to creating a number of errors with the treatment that day, however her protection legal professional argued the nurse was not performing outdoors of the norm and systemic issues at Vanderbilt College Medical Middle had been not less than partly responsible for the error.

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The jury discovered Vaught not responsible of reckless murder. Criminally negligent murder was a lesser cost included below the unique cost.

As Vaught waited for the decision on Friday morning, she was repeatedly approached by native nurses who had come to the courthouse to assist her. Vaught was calm after the decision was learn, however a number of of the nurses who surrounded her within the courthouse hallway had been in tears.

Interviewed after the decision, Vaught mentioned she was relieved to have a decision after 4 1/2 years and hopes Murphey’s household is relieved as nicely.

“Ms. Murphey’s household is on the forefront of my ideas daily,” she mentioned. “You do not do one thing that impacts a household like this, that impacts a life, and never carry that burden with you.”

Murphey had been admitted to the neurological intensive care unit on Dec. 24, 2017, after affected by a mind bleed. Two days later, medical doctors making an attempt to find out the reason for the bleed ordered a PET scan to verify for most cancers. Murphey was claustrophobic and was prescribed Versed for her anxiousness, in accordance with testimony. When Vaught couldn’t discover Versed in an automated drug allotting cupboard, she used an override and by accident grabbed vecuronium as an alternative.

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An professional witness for the state argued that Vaught violated the usual of care anticipated of nurses. Along with grabbing the fallacious drugs, she did not learn the title of the drug, didn’t discover a crimson warning on the highest of the treatment and didn’t stick with the affected person to verify for an adversarial response, mentioned nurse authorized marketing consultant Donna Jones.

Leanna Craft, a nurse educator on the neuro-ICU unit the place Vaught labored, testified that it was widespread for nurses at the moment to override the system in an effort to get medicine. The hospital had not too long ago up to date an digital information system, which led to delays in retrieving medicines from the automated drug allotting cupboards. There was additionally no scanner within the imaging space for Vaught to scan the treatment in opposition to the affected person’s ID bracelet.

RaDonda Vaught and her legal professional Peter Strianse pay attention as verdicts are learn on the finish of her trial in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, March 25, 2022. 
(Nicole Hester/The Tennessean by way of AP, Pool)

Assistant District Lawyer Chadwick Jackson advised the jury in closing arguments, “RaDonda Vaught acted recklessly, and Charlene Murphey died on account of that. RaDonda Vaught had an obligation of care to Charlene Murphey and RaDonda Vaught uncared for that. … The immutable reality of this case is that Charlene Murphey is lifeless as a result of RaDonda Vaught couldn’t take note of what she was doing.”

Vaught mentioned she is anxious that the decision will trigger different suppliers “to be cautious about coming ahead to inform the reality. I do not suppose the takeaway from this isn’t to be sincere and truthful.”

Affected person security professional Bruce Lambert, in an interview earlier than the decision, mentioned it was extraordinarily regarding that Vaught was being criminally prosecuted for a medical error.

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“This is not going to solely trigger nurses and medical doctors to not report treatment errors, it can trigger nurses to depart the occupation,” mentioned Lambert, director of the Middle for Communication and Well being at Northwestern College.

Vaught mentioned that she did not remorse truthfully admitting her mistake. She felt she was being scapegoated after Vanderbilt turned the topic of a shock inspection by the Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Providers.

“Somebody has to pay a value, and it is very easy to say, ‘Simply let her do it’,” she mentioned. “Nurses see that. Medics see it. Radiology technicians see it.”

RaDonda Vaught arrives for a court docket listening to Feb. 20, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. 
(AP Photograph/Mark Humphrey)

Prosecutors talking in regards to the verdict mentioned it was not a precedent setting case that may outcome additional criminalization of medical errors.

“This isn’t a case in opposition to the nursing neighborhood,” mentioned Assistant District Lawyer Chadwick Jackson. “This can be a case in opposition to one particular person.”

Janie Harvey Garner, who based the nurse advocacy group Present Me Your Stethoscope, disagreed.

“What’s occurred right here is that well being care has been utterly modified,” Garner mentioned in a telephone interview. “Now once we inform the reality we’re incriminating ourselves.”

Garner, who has been serving to to lift cash for Vaught’s protection, mentioned abnormal individuals don’t perceive how troublesome and disturbing working as a nurse might be. She mentioned errors are widespread and what occurred to Vaught may have occurred to anybody.

“A jury of her friends would have all been ICU nurses,” Garner mentioned.

Vaught’s sentencing listening to is scheduled for Might 13. She faces three to 6 years in jail on the gross neglect conviction and one to 2 years on the criminally negligent murder conviction. Vaught has been free on bail and stays free till after she is sentenced. She mentioned she had not thought of whether or not she would enchantment.