The nurses are innocent
Subtitle: the digoxin poisoning fallacy
By: Gavin Hamilton
Publisher: Dundurn Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Toronto
Language: eng
Number of pages: 240
ISBN-13: 9781459700574
Subjects: Homicide; Death; Administration; Mort; Homicide investigation; Digoxine; Digoxin; Malpractice; Toxicology; Ontario; Administration of Criminal justice; Hospital for Sick Children; Toxicologie; Nurses; Enquêtes; Responsabilité professionnelle; Infirmières; Justice pénale; Ontario. Royal Commission of Inquiry into Certain Deaths at the Hospital for Sick Children and Related Matters; Enfants; Children
Other titles: Digoxin poisoning fallacy
Description: "In 1980-81, 43 babies died at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children from a supposed digoxin overdose. Serial murder was suspected, leading to the arrest of nurse Susan Nelles. In order to clear Nelles's name, an investigation was launched to find an alternate explanation. No one on the Grange Royal Commission of Inquiry had expertise in diagnosis. The post-mortem diagnosis of digoxin poisoning was based on a single biochemical test without knowledge of the normal values. Gavin Hamilton's extensive research shows that a toxin found in natural rubber, a digoxin-like substance, might well have been the culprit in the babies' deaths. He clearly demonstrates that explanations other than serial murder account for the cluster of infant deaths at HSC. What can be learned from this black stain on Canada's judicial system? One lesson certainly stands out: we can't ever again allow a group of unqualified amateur diagnosticians make life-and-death decisions about such important matters as potential serial murders"--Provided by publisher.
Notes: Issued also in electronic formats.
Table of contents: title: A simple new technique to show kidney vascularity; title: Physiologic and allergic reactions to IVP dye injections; title: Anaphylactic shock following an IVP dye injection; title: A hidden and unsuspected allergenic hazard in pharmaceutical rubber; title: Concealing, revealing, then inaction on the hazardous contamination of medical rubber MBT in injected X-ray dyes, pharmaceuticals, allergy desensitization "shots," IV fluids, and blood; title: A preventable repeat performance; title: Inaction on rubber contamination leaching into pharmaceuticals worldwide; title: Control of medical journal content : suppressing the MBT contamination warning; title: An expensive new X-ray dye, shown by statistics to reduce serious side effects; title: Misdirected protection by government health protection agencies, allowing the health hazard of MBT to extend beyond 2000; title: A rubber contaminant linked to an epidemic of baby poisoning in Toronto; title: "There were no murders!"; title: An innocent pediatric cardiac nurse is charged with multiple patient murders; title: Deaths by insidious poisoning, but no murders; title: The Dubin report on the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children; title: The Grange inquiry report; title: The digoxin poisoning investigation; title: Falsely high digoxin readings on the autopsy digoxin tests; title: A contaminant can be measured as digoxin; title: A worldwide epidemic of poisoning; title: Different death rates on HSC Cardiac Ward 4A and Ward 4B; title: An epidemic of infant cardiac deaths across Canada; title: The Canadian nurse journal successfully challenges the digoxin poisoning theory; title: A summary of the case against the digoxin poisoning theory; title: False diagnoses of baby poisoning from interpretations of autopsy specimens.