A teenager whose IV bag was allegedly poisoned by a crooked anesthesiologist on a mission of revenge was left fighting for his life and foaming at the mouth.
Jack Alderstein, who was 18 years old at the time of the incident, suffered cardiac arrest during a routine nose surgery at Baylor Scott and White SurgiCare in August 2022.
Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr., 61, went on trial Wednesday accused of contaminating intravenous bags with dangerous drugs at a Dallas hospital. Texas.
Alderstein, now 19, said who thought he was going to die
Eleven patients are alleged to have suffered cardiac arrest after Dr. Ortiz administered contaminated bags to them.
Dr. Ortiz was allegedly forced to poison the IV bags out of a desire to get revenge on the hospital, which was subjecting him to a disciplinary investigation for his poor performance.
Jack Alderstein, 19, testified Wednesday about how he thought he was going to die after his IV bag was allegedly contaminated by Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr., 61.
Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr., has been accused of poisoning the IV bags of several other patients at Baylor Scott and White SurgiCare in Dallas, Texas.
The 19-year-old told how he woke up 36 hours after his surgery in the ICU, feeling “out of it” and believing he was going to die.
Alderstein’s surgeon, Dr. Thomas Hung, also testified Wednesday afternoon, explaining to the jury how a routine surgery, which he had performed countless times, took a dramatic turn for the worse.
The teen’s surgery was for his broken nose, an injury he had suffered in a motorcycle accident, and was only supposed to last two hours.
Dr. Hung testified that after a new IV bag was administered midway through the surgery, Alderstein began foaming at the mouth.
The surgeon also said that there were also serious complications from excessive bleeding and extreme blood pressure.
At that point, Dr. Hung testified, another doctor entered the room and recommended changing the IV bags, based on an accident that occurred a week earlier.
One minute after the new IV bag was administered, Dr. Hung said the patient’s condition stabilized.
Alderstein’s mother also testified and said that once her son recovered from the initial operation, he returned to Baylor Scott and White SurgiCare to finish the surgery.
Dr. Ortiz was filmed taking medications from the medicine cabinet, removing a bag from the warmer, and then returning and putting a bag into the warmer, where prosecutors said poisoned bags were regularly kept.
Alderstein, seen here leaving a Dallas courtroom on Wednesday in the company of his family, was supposed to undergo routine nose surgery, before Dr. Ortiz allegedly contaminated his IV bag.
Mrs. Adelstein told the court how she had the nurse show her that the IV bag was locked.
Dr. Ortiz’s lawyers mentioned that the teen had previously been diagnosed with high blood pressure, but Dr. Hung insisted that Alderstein’s medications did not raise any alarms before the surgery. Mrs. Alderstein also noted that the teenager’s high blood pressure had not been a concern.
The husband of an anesthesiologist who died after using an IV bag allegedly contaminated by Dr. Ortiz also testified Wednesday.
John Kaspar told jurors how his late wife, Dr. Melanie Kaspar, 55, returned home from work at Baylor Scott and White Surgicare in June 2022 feeling unwell.
She took home an IV bag and asked her husband to help her administer it.
John Kaspar testified that five minutes later, his wife began yelling at him to call an ambulance.
He told the court his biggest regret was not immediately ripping off the IV bag.
A Baylor Scott and White nurse also testified and recounted an incident involving a 17-year-old girl’s surgery in July 2022.
Melanie Kaspar’s home in Dallas, where she died in June 2022, after administering an intravenous bag, one of the incidents that triggered the investigation. If convicted, he faces life in federal prison.
Dr. Melanie Kaspar, 55, an anesthesiologist at the hospital, died of cardiac arrest minutes after administering an IV bag she had taken home from work after feeling dehydrated.
The nurse explained how the surgery was going well until the girl was given a new IV bag before being taken to the recovery room.
Minutes later, the nurse said, the girl began foaming at the mouth and turned gray.
The nurse said the 17-year-old’s oxygen levels also dropped, but she managed to survive.
Dr. Ortiz has had his medical license revoked and, if convicted, faces life in prison.
The trial is scheduled to begin next week.