Three people were detained, on Wednesday, in the case of suspicious deaths at the Pantelimon Hospital in Bucharest. Two doctors are accused of first-degree murder with premeditation, and a nurse of perjury. So far, the prosecutors have certain data regarding the death of a 54-year-old man, whose noradrenaline dose was intentionally decreased by the doctors prosecuted.
“On 07.08.2024, the prosecutors of the prosecutor’s office attached to the Bucharest Court ordered the initiation of the criminal action against the defendants M.M.A. and P.M., having the capacity of specialist doctors in Anesthesia and Intensive Care at the Clinical Emergency Hospital «St. Pantelimon” Bucharest”, announced on Wednesday, the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Bucharest Court.
According to the prosecutors, the first of the defendants is being investigated for the crimes of attempted aggravated murder (premeditated and taking advantage of the victim’s obvious vulnerability) and aggravated murder (premeditated, taking advantage of the victim’s obvious vulnerability and by a person who previously committed an attempted murder), and the second one is being investigated for committing the crime of aggravated murder (premeditated and taking advantage of the victim’s obvious vulnerability).
“With the aim of causing the death of some patients who required intensive therapy, but for whom the defendants considered that it was no longer appropriate to keep them alive, they devised and implemented a plan consisting in the sudden reduction of the dose of noradrenaline (an essential substance in intensive therapy, with a role in maintaining blood pressure), with the consequence of a drop in blood pressure, followed by cardio-respiratory arrest”, the prosecutors say.
They report that, on 26.03.2024, at 16:45, “with premeditation and taking advantage of the victim’s obvious state of vulnerability (54-year-old patient, in a very serious condition, hemodynamically unstable, with blood pressure of 49 /29 mm/Hg), the defendant M.M.A. tried to suppress the patient’s life by suddenly reducing the dose of noradrenaline administered through the injectomat, from the value of 15ml/h, to the value of 1ml/h (minimum value that was maintained for a considerable period of time), but the victim’s death did not produced as a result of the intervention of a nurse who replaced the noradrenaline deficiency by infusion”.
“On 04.04.2024, at 13:17, the defendant M.M.A. and P.M., taking advantage of the obvious vulnerability of the victim (the same 54-year-old patient, in a very serious condition, hemodynamically unstable, with a blood pressure of 60/36 mm/Hg), acting with the intention of suppressing the patient’s life, i -they reduced the dose of noradrenaline administered through the injectomat, from the value of 20 ml/h, to the value of 1 ml/h, which led, 58 minutes later, to the installation of cardio-respiratory arrest, followed by the death of the patient declared at at 15:00″, the prosecutors say.
Judicial sources told HotNews.ro that it is about doctors Maria Miron and Mirela Păiuș. According to the cited judicial sources, the nurse is Mariana Călin.
They also state that criminal prosecution of a nurse was ordered. “Also on 07.08.2024, the prosecutors ordered the continuation of the criminal investigation against the suspect C.M., a nurse in the Anesthesia and Intensive Care Department of the Emergency Clinical Hospital “St. Pantelimon” Bucharest, for committing the crime of perjury in continuous form. In her charge, it was noted that on the dates of 26.04.2024, 06.06.2024 and 19.06.2024, being heard as a witness regarding the commission of the crime of murder that is the subject of this case, she gave false statements and did not say everything he knows about essential aspects of the case”, the prosecutors added.
The three people were detained for 24 hours.
The Control Body of the Ministry of Health and the College of Doctors of Bucharest did their own investigations in this case, following which they announced in April that no irregularities were found.
Minister Alexandru Rafila said, in April, that the notifications made by hospital employees regarding the reduction of the dose of Noradrenaline “are based on faulty communication between the management of the unit and the persons concerned”, while the College of Physicians from Bucharest claimed that “there was no idea that the medical team did not do their best for the patient”.