Saline poisoning: fourth patient falls ill

Stepping Hill hospital chief executive speaks of staff shock over revelations of saline being contaminated with insulin The chief executive of a hospital where police are investigating the deaths of three patients spoke of the staff’s shock over revelations of saline contamination, as a fourth patient fell ill. Chris Burke, chief executive of Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, told a press conference at Stepping Hill hospital that “malicious intent” was behind the deaths. The critically ill patient, a man in his 40s, now forms part of the police investigation at the hospital in Hazel Grove, Stockport. Burke said: “Our staff are shocked, horrified and angry at what’s happened. They are alarmed that a place that should be for care has become a crime scene. “This is a criminal act, perpetrated by someone with malicious intent. We do not believe it could have been anticipated. “This is a bad person doing a malevolent thing. This is about someone wanting to inflict harm, pain and, possibly further, as a deliberate malicious act. That is nothing to do with care.” Three people have died at the hospital after a batch of saline was deliberately injected with insulin. Police were called a week ago after an experienced nurse realised that a large number of patients had had a sudden, unexpected drop in blood sugar levels. The critically ill patient is one of 14 people on wards A1 and A3 who have been affected after the saboteur tampered with 36 ampoules of saline in a store room. In a statement, Greater Manchester police said: “A fourth person is currently critically ill after suffering low blood sugar levels. Their family are also being provided with support by specially trained officers.” The three patients who died – Tracey Arden, 44, George Keep, 84, and Arnold Lancaster, 71, – had all been given the contaminated saline but investigators still do not know for certain that this was the cause of their deaths. A fifth patient who was affected by the tainted saline – a woman who became seriously ill and suffered a seizure – is recovering. But officers on Tuesday ruled out any quick arrests and described their work as a “complex investigation” with 60 detectives focusing on people who either work at or visit the site in Stockport. Police said they could not rule out the possibility that the person responsible was at the hospital. Detectives believe the insulin was deliberately injected into the saline containers that were used in drips by at least two wards, but they say the deaths remain unexplained as they await postmortem examination results. The inquests for the three dead patients were briefly opened and adjourned to a later date by South Manchester coroner John Pollard. Crime NHS Health Helen Carter guardian.co.uk

Posted by on July 19, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.