Federal judge unseals records, revealing North Texas anesthesiologist's charges
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A federal judge in Dallas on Thursday unsealed records revealing a North Texas anesthesiologist has been charged in connection to a colleague's death and other patient complications.
Dr. Ray Ortiz expressed frustration to CBS 11 last week, to find out he is the focus investigation again. Other investigations he was referencing were ones being conducted this summer.
According to the newly unsealed criminal complaint, he felt targeted and that may have played a role in what happened.
When an 18-year-old having sinus surgery last month suddenly needed to be rushed to the ICU with his heart beating out of control, the staff at Baylor Scott & White Surgicare in North Dallas grew suspicious.
A newly unsealed criminal complaint says an inspection found "small puncture holes in the clear plastic packaging bags that encase the IV bags."
Just two months earlier, Dr. Melanie Kaspar had died after, the complaint says, she treated her own dehydration with an IV bag taken from the center.
In both cases, the nerve-blocker, Bupivacaine, was found in the bags.
According to the new complaint, Surgicare staff "determined that there were approximately ten other suspected incidents since late May 2022 where patients experienced unexpected cardiovascular complications" ... "a high and unnatural number of anaesthesia complications."
"To have this happen is stunning," said Attorney Bruce Steckler, who represents the 18-year-old referenced in the complaint, and four others who believe they were victims, too.
"And what's ore stunning is to have this happen so many times," he continued.
The incidents, the complaint notes, began two days after Ortiz was notified he was being investigated for a patient under his care who'd stopped breathing during a routine procedure.
According to the complaint, "he expressed to a fellow doctor (the surgery center) was trying to 'crucify' him" and a colleague told investigators "losing his work (there) would be financially 'devastating' to Ortiz."
According to the complaint, Ortiz can be seen on video on four different days dropping IV bags into a storage cabinet outside the operating room. Some time later, when a bag from that cabinet would be used, a patient, in someone else's care, would sudden suffer a serious complication.
The complaint says during that time, Ortiz himself began taking the unusual step of retrieving his own bags and refusing one a nurse tried to provide him.
You can read the full complaint below: