Powerful testimony today from cardiologist Dr. Alon Steinberg who said that leaving a sedated patient alone is like leaving a baby on a kitchen countertop: it's possible it will turn out OK, but nobody should ever do it.
Dr. Steinberg says that in his review of Dr. Conrad Murray’s treatment of Michael Jackson for the California Medical Board he found six ways in which Dr. Murray "extremely deviated" from the standard of care.
1. The use of propofol for treating insomnia. The drug is used for short diagnostic procedures only.
2. Administering propofol in Jackson’s home. The drug can only be administered in a hospital setting with the proper equipment, staffing and physical observation of the patient.
3. Failing to plan for an emergency. Doctors must always plan for the worst, especially when administering dangerous drugs to their patients.
4. Not following appropriate protocol when Jackson went into respiratory arrest. Dr. Steinberg says the first thing Dr. Murray should have done was call 911 and the chest compressions he performed were counterproductive, because Jackson’s heart was beating.
5. Failing to summon emergency help when necessary. There was a significant delay in calling 911 and instead of calling for emergency help, Dr. Murray called Jackson’s assistant.
6. Failing to maintain proper medical records. There were no records of Jackson’s vitals or medications that had been administered. Therefore, at the emergency room Dr. Murray didn’t have the necessary information to help the physicians.
Complete courtroom coverage of the Conrad Murray trial airs live on HLN from gavel to gavel. It’s also on In Session on truTV from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET every weekday.
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