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How to File Complaints Against Physicians in Connecticut

There is a process for filing complaints against physicians in the state of Connecticut on the web. The form is sent (electronically) to the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Complaints should filed against Edwin Blanchette, who is the Medical Director of the prison system and against Nurse Patricia Ottolini, Health Director of the Connecticut Department of Correction.

http://www.dph.state.ct.us/BHCS/Complaints/complaint_form.htm

Here is the list of complaints. Complaints 1 and 7 are ethics violations, and complaints 2-6 involve the DOC performing medical procedures that are below the accepted standard of care.

Complaints against Dr. Edward Blanchette, Medical Director of the Connecticut Department of Correction, and Nurse Patricia Ottolini, Health Director of the Connecticut Department of Correction.

1. Dr. Blanchette has indicated his willingness to train executioners for lethal injection (Associated Press, 16 January 2005). Training executioners is a violation of the American Medical Association’s ethical guidelines. The AMA’s opinion E-2.06 states, “consulting with or supervising lethal injection personnel” constitutes direct physician participation and is contrary to established ethics guidelines.

2. The Connecticut Department of Correction intends to allow sodium thiopental to be administered to an inmate by a non-physician. Sodium thiopental is an ultrashort acting anesthetic agent. This drug should only be administered for the purpose of providing anesthesia by a board certified anesthesiologist or anesthesia provider/trainee working under the direct supervision of a board certified anesthesiologist. Administration of this drug by an individual with unknown medical training and no supervision is a clear violation of the standard of care for patients undergoing anesthesia.

3. The Connecticut Department of Correction intends to allow pancuronium to be administered to an inmate by a non-physician. Pancuronium is a muscle paralyzing agent. This drug should only be administered for the purpose of inducing muscular paralysis by a board certified anesthesiologist (or other specially qualified physician) or anesthesia provider/trainee working under the direct supervision of a board certified anesthesiologist. Administration of this drug by an individual with unknown medical training and no supervision is a clear violation of the standard of care. If this drug is used improperly, “chemical entombment” and awake suffocation may result.

4. The Connecticut Department of Correction intends to allow potassium chloride to be administered to an inmate by a peripheral intravenous line (IV). Potassium, at the dose of 120 mEq diluted into the volume of a syringe, causes an intense burning sensation. Administration of this drug at this dose via a peripheral IV is a violation of standard of care.

5. According to the DOC’s protocol, the administration of the lethal injection drugs will be performed by an individual who is not a physician and has unknown professional qualifications. This is clearly below the standard of care. In the clinical setting, only trained and licensed health care professionals may perform these tasks.

6. The Connecticut execution protocol makes no provisions for monitoring of the intravenous infusion lines during the drug infusions. Multiple problems can develop during an infusion, including leakage of the drug from the tubing, or infiltration of the drug (a condition in which the drug leaks out of the vein during the infusion). It is the standard of care for a nurse or other health care professional to monitor the IV tubing and catheter during infusion of drugs by manual infusion from a syringe (also called “IV push”) as described in the execution protocol. It is below the standard of care and unacceptable for any patient to receive drugs by “IV push” without appropriate monitoring of the infusion tubing and catheter insertion site.

7. The Connecticut execution protocol requires a physician to “pronounce the inmate’s death.” Pronouncing death requires the physician to monitor the inmate for vital signs (breathing, pulse, audible heart tones, and EKG monitor) in order the ascertain that death has occurred. Thus, pronouncing death is an ethics violation of according to the AMA’s opinion E-2.06 which states: Physician participation in an execution includes, but is not limited to, the following actions... monitoring vital signs on site or remotely (including monitoring electrocardiograms).”

Please take a minute to contact your legislators now, so we never have another execution
in Connecticut!