Anesthesiologist Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz's, MD, license has been suspended following the investigation into the death of a fellow anesthesiologist and complications several patients suffered during routine surgeries at a Dallas ASC, CBS 11 reported Sept. 9.
The Texas Medical Board said Dr. Ortiz is under federal investigation and is suspected of tampering with IV bags at the Baylor Scott & White Surgicare Center in North Dallas.
The surgery center temporarily paused operations last week after a medical emergency involving an 18-year-old boy in which a "compromised" IV bag was found at the facility.
The board determined evidence links Dr. Ortiz to the compromised IV bags — including security footage of Dr. Ortiz depositing IV bags into a warmer in the hall outside operating rooms, according to the report.
Lab tests on the IV bags found "visible tiny holes in the plastic wrap around the bags" and that they contained bupivacaine without being labeled as such, according to the board. Without the knowledge of these drugs, they could be fatal.
Federal investigators are also investigating the death of anesthesiologist Melanie Kaspar, MD, who worked at the ASC and died June 21. She was originally thought to have had a heart attack, but the Dallas County Medical Examiner ruled her death to be from the effects of the local anesthetic bupivacaine.
According to the board, she took an IV bag home with her when she was ill to rehydrate.
"She inserted the IV into her vein and almost immediately had a serious cardiac event and died," according to the report.
When CBS 11 reached out to Dr. Ortiz for comment Sept. 9, he was apparently unaware his license had been suspended and said he did not tamper with the IV bags.
The Texas Medical Board will schedule another hearing on the case as soon as it is practical to do so, the report said.