Texas medical board: Doctor tampered with IV bags; at least one death of fellow dr.

The following is an excerpt from USA Today.

Texas physician has been suspended and federal officials are investigating him after multiple patients suffered serious cardiac complications and one died, the Texas Medical Board said.

The board found that if Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr. continues to practice medicine, he'd pose a threat to public health and safety.

On Sept. 8, board staff found out from federal law enforcement that Ortiz is part of an investigation into serious cardiac complications and one patient’s death, the board said in a news release. 

Based on a temporary order of suspension the board posted, the patient died while Ortiz worked at Baylor Scott & White Surgicare North Dallas from May through September 2022.

According to the suspension documents, Ortiz was captured on surveillance footage at Baylor Scott & White putting single IV bags in a warmer in a hallway outside operating rooms.

Shortly after, a patient suffered a serious complication. 

On June 21, a fellow physician took one of the IV bags home to rehydrate. Once she inserted the IV into her vein, she almost immediately had a serious cardiac event and died, the documents say.

The Dallas Medical Examiner ruled that her death was caused by accidental bupivacaine toxicity. 

Bags from the lab were tested and there were holes in the plastic wrap around the bags.

They tested positive for bupivacaine, but they were not properly labeled.

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