Jackson’s Doctor Gave Him Drug Before Death

[RamboLiberal]

Source: NY Times

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation into Michael Jackson's death says the pop star's personal doctor administered the powerful drug that authorities believe killed him.

Jackson regularly received the anesthetic propofol (PROH'-puh-fahl) to go to sleep. The official, who requested anonymity because the probe is ongoing, told The Associated Press on Monday that Dr. Conrad Murray gave Jackson the drug the last night of his life.

Murray was with Jackson when he died June 25 and has been identified in court papers as the subject of a manslaughter investigation.

Murray's lawyer has said the doctor didn't prescribe or administer anything that should have killed Jackson.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/07/27/us/AP-US-Michael-Jackson-Investigation.html?hp

[undeterred]

1. Well, it shouldn't have killed him

but apparently his heart stopped and he died sometime after receiving the drug.

[bemildred]

2. You just never know with these powerful drugs. nt

[undeterred]

4. What I meant to say was

its not like the doctor administered a poison or overdose with intent to kill. But if its a drug used for in-hospital anesthesia, he was probably not taking all the precautions that are normally used with this drug.

[bemildred]

5. That's one reason anesthesiologists get paid so well.

Good intentions are not much compensation for lousy judgement.

[kirby]

28. The drug can be dangerous...

It requires very close monitoring of the patient by an anesthesiologist in order to prevent a drop in fatal heart rate. I've spoken with some anesthesiologists who are concerned that the drug is being used by lesser trained people in dental and colonoscopy situations. One news report, who knows if it is accurate, says there was no monitoring equipment at Jacksons home that would be required to monitor the vital stats (EKC/O2 monitor alarm). Another report says the doctor hooked him up and fell asleep himself.

[xchrom]

3. +1

[Spider Jerusalem]

27. Shouldn't have killed him if administered in a clinical setting by a qualified anaesthesiologist.

By someone whose medical specialty wasn't anaesthesia, in a home setting? Roll of the dice. Very risky.

[taught_me_patience]

41. My wife said

that if they were giving him Propofol, no wonder he's dead. That drug is dangerous and it was only a matter of time. She also thinks that if they called 911 in time, he could have been saved.

She's an MD.

[Initech]

6. What doctor would administer drugs like that?

Seriously my brother goes to medical school and they make him take all kinds of classes about legal recourse in dealing prescription drugs, and especially ones as powerful as propofol you'd think he (MJ's doctor) would have had a conscious about it but I guess not.

[rocktivity]

34. My sister, a pharmacist, says that propofol has no business being outside a operating room

and that it HAS to administered and monitored by an anesthesiologist--NOT a general practitioner--with certain mandatory equipment.

:headbang:
rocktivty

[CountAllVotes]

7. so I was right

I thought it was manslaughter - now I suppose they'll call it "involuntary manslaughter"?

:dem: :kick: recommend.

[rocktivity]

35. Yes--voluntary (first degree) manslaughter is when you kill someone you're trying to hurt.

Involuntary (second degree) manslaughter is when you recklessly or negligently engage in behavior that you either know or should know could result in death.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[Faryn Balyncd]

8. This failed cardiologist took $150K/month to give administer GENERAL ANESTHESIA nightly, then either

....didn't bring an ambu bag, or else went to sleep on the job.

This is becoming as bizarre as O.J.

Now it turns out that 3 hours before 911 was called, he called his office assistant in Houston and told her to go to the storage facility to destroy medical records.

And the plastic surgeon says that MJ was dead for at least 2 hours before he got to the hospital, which implies that he (the plastic surgeon) was privy to a leak that MJ was showing early signs of rigor mortis when he got to the hospital, indicating at least 2 hours post death. Which is consistent with reported leaks that EMT's saw no sign of life and would have pronounced him at the scene if not for Murray's insistence.

And we hear reports that Dr. Murray called in MJ's 10 year old son to witness his (Murray's) attempts at CPR. (When Murray says he didn't call 9121 with his cell phone because he "didn't know MJ's address."

So did this creep accept 5 grand/day to administer nightly GENERAL ANESTHeSIA TO TREAT INSOMNIA (To a patient that was getting 800mg Demerol/day from his dermatologist), and then, after giving IV Diprivan, fall asleep & let his patient die from respiratory arrest, wake up and, finding his patient dead, call his assistant in Houston to destroy medical records at 9:30 AM, then fool around for 2-2 1/2 hours before calling MJ's 10 year old son to witness his CPR attempts on a several hours dead corpse?

Is this getting strange, or what?

[goclark]

9. Seems like the "Good Doctor" was not so good

He was a quack IMO.

[Faryn Balyncd]

12. ...An example of how much "better" American PROFIT DRIVEN medicine is (than "socialized medicine")??

(Somehow I don't think we'll see the Republicans and Baucus using Dr. Murray as an example of how we've got the best medicine money can buy!!!!)



("Under socialized medicine you won't be able to get IV Diprivan every night before retiring.....We've got the best medicine in the world in America.")



:sarcasm:

[Chemisse]

10. Even if the OD was an accident, he should be nabbed for the coverup

[CountAllVotes]

11. this just shows how incompetent Murray is

and this is why Michael Jackson is now dead. He sounds like an idiot and he will end up in jail for this.

He did not want his name on the death cert. as the attending physician at the time of death. Hence, the coroner's inquest followed rightly so.

I wonder what else there is to this story and I've noted that Klein has reentered the picture again.

They just cannot stop clawing at a dead man. :(

[undeterred]

18. Or worse, he may be an idiot who does not end up in jail.

This kind of case is not easy to prosecute.

[maxsolomon]

26. MJ is now dead because of his own actions

HE became "addicted" to using propofol to FALL ASLEEP. the doctor certainly enabled MJ's drug addiction, and will likely lose his license, but ultimately, it's on MJ.

he chose to abuse "medicine", despite his sanctimonious and self-delusional opposition to drug use.

[closeupready]

40. I, too, put most of the blame on MJ himself.

n/t

[undeterred]

13. What medical records pertaining to MJ would be in Houston?

[Faryn Balyncd]

15. I think the raid on Murray's Houston office was to find either Diprivan purchases or

.....other evidence of improper prescribing by Dr. Murray of controlled substances to (other) drug abusers, probably not to find specific records pertaining to MJ.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/22/AR2009072203280.html

[Aragorn]

14. SOUNDS likely

but wait until we get the police report - I'm sure it will be accurate and truthful, especially in that part of California.

A doctor taking lots of cash to administer drugs as described here? Well, some doctors would do it. $$$$$$

[sunnybrook]

17. And then had the gall to complain

about not fully being paid! I think when you kill the patient, getting paid should be a low priority!

[Corgigal]

25. 10 year old son to witness

That's horrific. No one can ever undue the damage that did to a young man. I also read that Dr. Murray fell asleep and by the time he awoke MJ was already dead. No wonder the Medics saw Rigor in MJ body.

If this goes to trial and they are told how the oldest son was brought into the bedroom to be witness, to ensure MJ family that he was doing CPR properly. That will leave a bitter aftertaste in any juror mouth. Disgusting.

[msanthrope]

30. Rigor starts at about 2 hours after death, in the head and face.

Once that starts to set in, it's unmistakable.

I mean, you can fool time of death with hot and cold, turning the body to mask lividity/pooling, but once you start getting rigor, you can't really reverse or slow that down. Whatever game you are playing, time is up.

[rainbow4321]

36. Have you seen the dummies in Houston?

TMZ has video of them trying to explain why they happened to go to the storage center together that morning. Problem is the two sisters give conflicting stories. One says she went to pick up used needle containers and the other said she went to pick up a chair. Unfortunately for them, the storage manager has already told the cops the sisters had several boxes and "got nervous" when asked questions. In another weird twist, the damn security cameras were broken and not working "that day" so nothing is on tape. Much like the missing closed circuit TV video from MJs home that morning. The hour of his death video has gone missing. I wanna know if the storage place's camera system was never working or was it just that day when the doc's people went there.

[Faryn Balyncd]

16. Is this the "best medicine in the world" we need to protect from the dreaded "SOCIALIZED MEDICINE"?

(K&R)





:kick:

[excess_3]

19. administering Propofol outside of a hospital, is against the law?

or not?

state
federal

felony?

tia, for any comments

[undeterred]

20. Not yet.

There is no law against administering it outside of a hospital environment but its not standard practice and it won't be hard to find an anesthesiologist to stand up in court and say they would never advise it.

There will be a 'michael jackson' law as a result of this.

Dr. Murray is a cardiologist. Most doctors are very reluctant to do procedures outside their specialties... I'd be real surprised if he had any training beyond medical school in administering anesthesia.

[excess_3]

21. thanks for that info../n/t

[dysfunctional press]

22. the dr. will claim that michael had other drugs in his system that he was unaware of...

and that it was the presence of the other drugs that caused the death to occur.

[JeanGrey]

23. Michael would have done it himself (and had) without the

doctor. I understand he had sores on both legs indicative of failed iv tries or too many tries in the same area. It was only a matter of time.

[RobinA]

24. Indeed

And this would certainly not be first case, nor the last, of a professional allowing himself to be dragged into the orbit of a destructive addict or mentally ill person trying to use their expertise to save the person from himself. "He's going to use this stuff and he's going to kill himself for sure, so, since I have some knowledge in this field, I will try to help him do it safely." Really dumb in retrospect, but as a family member/good friend/helping professional, it can be pretty hard to walk out the door saying "Go ahead, kill yourself," when you can do something to prevent that from happening, at least THIS TIME.

I'm not saying what was going on with Murrey, but I doubt he set out to be the guy who kills Michael Jackson, and I've seen the damage addicts and the seriously mentally ill can do to the people around them who can't/don't/won't stay out of the strong gavitational pull these self-destructos exert.

[JeanGrey]

31. I think they should leave the doctor alone. Michael was going

to do it, one way or the other. Persecuting the doctor isn't going to solve anything or stop anything.

[Karenina]

33. Prosecuting the Big Pharma culture in docs-for-hire will help.

[JeanGrey]

37. That will just leave a lot more people in pain, IMHO.

[gkhouston]

29. What I want to know is: which "law enforcement official" leaked this info during

an ongoing investigation, and why?

[slackmaster]

32. I think Dr. Murray was unfortunate to be the last person to administer anything to MJ

He's automatically assumed to be responsible.

The reason I quit working on peoples' personal computers for money many years ago (besides no longer needing the money) was that once you have touched someone's machine, you are the one they call whenever they have trouble with it in the future.

[marshall]

38. I daresay many many people receive some kind of drug before their deaths

As a life saving procedure.

[rocktivity]

39. But propofol isn't a drug in that sense of the word--it's a general anesthetic

meant to be dispensed and monitored only by properly-equipped and trained professional anesthesiologists. Even under those circumstances, using it every 24 hours is beyond belief.

:headbang:
rocktivity