As reported by MySanAntino, a "nurse at Northeast Methodist Hospital is facing multiple felonies after he allegedly stole drug vials, injected himself while working, refilled the vials with a mystery solution and then replaced them for future use on patients. [The nurse] was charged with tampering with a consumer product and drug diversion. . . . According to his arrest affidavit, law enforcement officials were first notified of the alleged misconduct in February [2019], after [the nurse] was caught stealing five vials of hydromorphone, a pain reliever, from a Pyxis machine. . . ." It was further reported, that in "May [2019], investigators with the Live Oak Police Department interviewed [the nurse]. During questioning, [he] allegedly confessed to stealing the drugs, injected them with a syringe while on the job as a registered nurse and then returning the vials to the Pyxis machine. Police say he also admitted to refilling the vials and gluing their lids shut to make them appear unused. Three of the five vials were sent for further testing. One of the vials showed traces of lidocaine and the results of the other two are still pending. [The nurse] said he used saline solution to refill them, according to police records. Investigators are concerned that [the nurse] may have used the same syringe with which he injected himself to refill the vials. [The nurse] is HIV positive, the affidavit states, and could have spread the disease to other patients."
"Upon learning the former employee was diagnosed with HIV, we took several precautions including consulting with third party infectious disease experts who concluded there was virtually no risk of exposure to others, most notably due to the virus being below detectable levels in the employee's blood," said Paul Hancock, MD, Chief Medical Officer for the Methodist Healthcare System. "The safety of all patients is our top priority."
"Upon learning the former employee was diagnosed with HIV, we took several precautions including consulting with third party infectious disease experts who concluded there was virtually no risk of exposure to others, most notably due to the virus being below detectable levels in the employee's blood," said Paul Hancock, MD, Chief Medical Officer for the Methodist Healthcare System. "The safety of all patients is our top priority."