Stop stealing my money !

[BlitznFire]

I can't believe he didn't get tazed.

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/graphic-video-shows-dui-suspect-smash-face-fhp-cru/nPCsT/

Graphic video from inside a Florida Highway Patrol cruiser shows an Orlando doctor bashing his head against the back seat divider as he lost his temper with troopers during a DUI arrest.
The suspect, Zach Bird, who works as an anesthesiologist in Titusville, goes berserk inside the FHP cruiser after troopers searched his pockets and found $40,000 in cash.
“All of the officers are stealing my money,” Bird can be heard screaming.
Police said Bird was driving along State Route 417 early Sunday morning when investigators said he nearly ran a trooper off the road. Bird was pulled over and failed a field sobriety test, police said.
When troopers searched his pockets, they found the cash. In his car, police said they found another $14,000.
Police then searched Bird in the back of the cruiser, which is when he began banging his head into the Plexiglas divider, screaming and kicking, saying, “Take me to the hospital.”
As the smashing continues, blood starts running down Bird’s forehead, into his eyes and mouth.
Troopers, concerned Bird would seriously injure himself, pulled the handcuffed man back out of the cruiser.
“When they got him out of the vehicle, he swallowed, took a deep breath and mouthful of blood, spit blood all over one of my sergeant's faces,” said Kim Montes of the FHP.
Bird was facing a DUI charge, but after spitting the blood, he’s now being charged with resisting arrest with violence, as well as property damage, since he broke the glass with his face.
The FHP had to have a biohazard team clean the interior of the cruiser.
On top of the cash, investigators said they also found unknown pills and two handguns in Bird’s

---

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[MTGas2B]

Reminds of an older story about a orthopedic surgeon in Alaska, except his PA was helping.

By NICOLE TSONG
Anchorage Daily News

(Published: January 8, 2004)

A local surgeon punched a taxi driver repeatedly Tuesday night after the driver told him to stop spitting in his cab, then stole the cab and promptly wrecked it in a snowbank, Anchorage police said.

Dr. Bret L. Mason, 46, an osteopathic physician, was charged Tuesday with first-degree vehicle theft, fourth-degree assault, drunken driving and resisting arrest. Van E. LaMore, a physician's assistant who police say was with him in a local restaurant and then in the cab, was charged with fourth-degree assault.

Mason was taken to the Anchorage Jail Tuesday night. Jail officials said he posted a $5,000 bond on a credit card Wednesday morning. LaMore was released Tuesday night.

Mason could not be reached for comment Wednesday. LaMore, reached by telephone at Mason's DeBarr Road office, said he was confused about much of what was going on between Mason and the driver in the front seat of the cab, but he said he was not involved in any assault.

"I was in the wrong seat at the wrong time," LaMore said.

According to police, the Anchorage Yellow Cab driver said he picked up Mason and LaMore at Gallo's Mexican Restaurant at 8311 Arctic Blvd. around 11:30 p.m. Police said the two asked him to drive them to the Bush Company on International Airport Road FYI, that's a strip club.

During the ride, Mason, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, spat on the cab floor, police said. The driver asked him to stop. When Mason did it again, the driver pulled over near the intersection of 58th Avenue and Arctic Boulevard and said he wouldn't drive Mason anymore.

Mason punched the driver several times and LaMore, who was in the back seat, grabbed the driver from behind, police said. The driver told police that while he was defending himself and trying to call for help on the radio, Mason grabbed the steering wheel and shifted the car into drive. The driver slammed on the brakes.

Police said Mason continued punching the driver, and the driver got out of the cab. Mason tried to speed away on 58th Avenue, but he spun the cab out of control and slammed into a snow bank.

By then, cab dispatch had called police.

Mason struggled as officers tried to take him into custody, police said, and he spat repeatedly on the floor of a patrol car.

LaMore said that he and Mason had a couple of drinks at dinner, but said he didn't know where the doctor told the cab driver to go. He said he sat in the back seat and Mason was in front. He denied the cab driver's report that he held him while the doctor punched him.

"I wouldn't hold that guy," LaMore said.

"I basically just wondered what the hell was happening," LaMore said. It looked like Mason and the driver were goofing around, he said.

"Before I knew it, the guy was out of the car. I'm like, 'Geez, this is weird.' "

He wouldn't comment on what happened after the cab driver got out.

Efforts to reach the cab driver were unsuccessful.

LaMore said the doctor's office was open Wednesday, but Mason was not in the office. Mason, who practices at 2751 DeBarr Road, Suite 300, advertises himself as a certified orthopedic surgeon.

According to the state Division of Occupational Licensing, Mason is a physician in good standing who has been licensed since 1991.

Medical board files show Mason has no disciplinary record.


http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/222661_Surgeon_beats_up_cabbie__steals_taxi.html

 

[PMPMD]

I can't believe he didn't get tazed.

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/graphic-video-shows-dui-suspect-smash-face-fhp-cru/nPCsT/

Graphic video from inside a Florida Highway Patrol cruiser shows an Orlando doctor bashing his head against the back seat divider as he lost his temper with troopers during a DUI arrest.
The suspect, Zach Bird, who works as an anesthesiologist in Titusville, goes berserk inside the FHP cruiser after troopers searched his pockets and found $40,000 in cash.
"All of the officers are stealing my money," Bird can be heard screaming.
Police said Bird was driving along State Route 417 early Sunday morning when investigators said he nearly ran a trooper off the road. Bird was pulled over and failed a field sobriety test, police said.
When troopers searched his pockets, they found the cash. In his car, police said they found another $14,000.
Police then searched Bird in the back of the cruiser, which is when he began banging his head into the Plexiglas divider, screaming and kicking, saying, "Take me to the hospital."
As the smashing continues, blood starts running down Bird's forehead, into his eyes and mouth.
Troopers, concerned Bird would seriously injure himself, pulled the handcuffed man back out of the cruiser.
"When they got him out of the vehicle, he swallowed, took a deep breath and mouthful of blood, spit blood all over one of my sergeant's faces," said Kim Montes of the FHP.
Bird was facing a DUI charge, but after spitting the blood, he's now being charged with resisting arrest with violence, as well as property damage, since he broke the glass with his face.
The FHP had to have a biohazard team clean the interior of the cruiser.
On top of the cash, investigators said they also found unknown pills and two handguns in Bird's

Not a lawyer, but isn't that also assault? Especially against a LEO?

 

[PMPMD]

After the head-banging and kicking, I'm surprised he wasn't hog-tied (or whatever the official term is).

 

[yappy]

Those officers didn't control the scene well at all...

Hold on... doesn't Blade live in FL? lol

 

[BLADEMDA]

Those officers didn't control the scene well at all...

Hold on... doesn't Blade live in FL? lol

Real Funny. Yes, that was me. I'm the crazy guy from Titusville getting wasted and spitting on police. Remember, Florida is a very large State and Dr. Bird does have partners.

 

[Robert Loblaw]

Real Funny. Yes, that was me. I'm the crazy guy from Titusville getting wasted and spitting on police. Remember, Florida is a very large State and Dr. Bird does have partners.

It's not just the state of residence that raises suspicions--he also apparently loves guns and is worried about government officials stealing his money. The body of evidence is growing!

 

[BLADEMDA]

It's not just the state of residence that raises suspicions--he also apparently loves guns and is worried about government officials stealing his money. The body of evidence is growing!

Well PeriopDoc and Coastie can vouch for the fact that dude isn't me. It is sad to see someone flush their career down the drain. CRNA/Anesthesiologist, I have met my fair share who lost jobs and family over alcohol/drugs. I always felt sorry for all of them.

As for the guns this is Florida. I think there are 3 guns for every person in the state. Or, is my estimate too low?

 

[imfrankie]

Sounds like there is work available in Titusville.

 

[Dwindlin]

Not a lawyer, but isn't that also assault? Especially against a LEO?

In Ohio it is, and the spitting blood part would actually carry a higher penalty because of the risk of blood-born disease.

 

[Robert Loblaw]

Well PeriopDoc and Coastie can vouch for the fact that dude isn't me. It is sad to see someone flush their career down the drain. CRNA/Anesthesiologist, I have met my fair share who lost jobs and family over alcohol/drugs. I always felt sorry for all of them.

As for the guns this is Florida. I think there are 3 guns for every person in the state. Or, is my estimate too low?

I think you know, but just to be clear, I was not serious.

 

[dhb]

As for the guns this is Florida. I think there are 3 guns for every person in the state. Or, is my estimate too low?

I think you skew the average

 

[BLADEMDA]

I think you know, but just to be clear, I was not serious.

Yes. I know. I've met my share of impaired CRNAs and Anesthesiologists. Some are able to make it through rehab and come back. Some think they are in the clear but fall back into the same pattern. This guy is in deep trouble now and will lose his job then rehab.

I'm not biased again race/religion/sexual orientation but former drug addicts are not my favorite hires.

 

[RT2MD]

The phrase "bag and gag" comes to mind...

 

[cincincyreds]

He isn't board certified. Maybe he failed the orals again and couldn't take it.

 

[Bertelman]

He isn't board certified. Maybe he failed the orals again and couldn't take it.

He was when I checked a couple days ago. They may have removed him from the system temporarily for system overload with all of us checking

 

[lobelsteve]

http://www.thebodysculptique.com/about-the-body-sculptique.html


This should explain everything.

 

[LongSnow]

http://www.thebodysculptique.com/about-the-body-sculptique.html


This should explain everything.

It really does explain a a lot. Business at the cosmetic center must not have been all that great if he was still working in gas.

He's got more problems than addiction.

There's Alcoholics Anonymous, there's Narcotics Anonymous, but I have yet to hear of A**holes Anonymous.

 

[BLADEMDA]

As a member and fully board certified in Anti-Aging Medicine by the American Board of Anti-Aging and Rejuvenation Medicine and Anesthesiology by the American board of Anesthesiology

 

[Jcm800]

crazy to actuallly WATCH someone flush their life down the toilet in 4.5 minutes...

poor guy, despite acting like an *******, and clearly being ****ed up, you hate to see it.

i am also shocked he wasnt tazed (msp)

 

[Tuohy]

As a member and fully board certified in Anti-Aging Medicine by the American Board of Anti-Aging and Rejuvenation Medicine and Anesthesiology by the American board of Anesthesiology

This guy's a d-bag...

 

[Jcm800]

yo, check out the website, MR JIMINEZ... is this guy DOING cosmetic surgery without a license...

THey call him a first assistant, but then call him a "body sculptor" He had an MD from Columbia, but no US training... what is going on here...

FACELIFTS, NOSE JOBS, who is actually DOING THESE PROCEDURES>...

 

[KeratinPearls]

yo, check out the website, MR JIMINEZ... is this guy DOING cosmetic surgery without a license...

THey call him a first assistant, but then call him a "body sculptor" He had an MD from Columbia, but no US training... what is going on here...

FACELIFTS, NOSE JOBS, who is actually DOING THESE PROCEDURES>...

Yeah, seriously, who is doing the plastic surgery procedures? The dude is an anesthesiologist.

 

[ProRealDoc]

yo, check out the website, MR JIMINEZ... is this guy DOING cosmetic surgery without a license...

THey call him a first assistant, but then call him a "body sculptor" He had an MD from Columbia, but no US training... what is going on here...

FACELIFTS, NOSE JOBS, who is actually DOING THESE PROCEDURES>...

Bingo. Florida is littered with physicians from Latin America who could not become licensed to practice medicine in this country and end up doing so anyway. A common tactic unlicensed surgeons from south of the border employ involves opening up cosmetic surgery clinics since it is mostly a cash-based business. They also target unsuspecting, uninformed and uneducated non-english speaking patients who are easy targets.

 

[LongSnow]

Yes. I know. I've met my share of impaired CRNAs and Anesthesiologists. Some are able to make it through rehab and come back. Some think they are in the clear but fall back into the same pattern. This guy is in deep trouble now and will lose his job then rehab.

I'm not biased again race/religion/sexual orientation but former drug addicts are not my favorite hires.

Each case is different - can't really lump all addicts together. Plus, there's no such thing as a "former" addict. Once an addict, always an addict. If you're contemplating hiring someone with a history and they tell you they are cured, that's a warning sign.

Addict can be the best of hires, or the worst of hires. Just depends if they have had enough.

 

[aneftp]

As a member and fully board certified in Anti-Aging Medicine by the American Board of Anti-Aging and Rejuvenation Medicine and Anesthesiology by the American board of Anesthesiology

Yep, my really good friend from college and med school practices medicine in Florida. He's a real plastic surgeon.

And it pisses him off there are many "seminars" in Orlando and Miami where many Internists, FPs, .....you name it try to get into this "anti-aging" medi-spa business.

But if there's a way to make money. You will always find any type of people in whatever industry makes the most money the quickest. It's just human nature.

As for guns, my anesthesiolgist friend in the Orlando area has 9 guns. My crna friend has 12 guns in Miami. It's dangerous in Florida. He got hit and run down in Miami, took a pic of license plate from thugs you side swipe him. He sent me pic and I blew the pic up with my digital imaging software. Got the license plates. Call policed. But guess what? The tags were from a stolen car.

So I understand why people need to carry weapons with them. Most of people I know have them in their magazine holder in the back seat. If some thug quickly approaches you at an interesection, be ready to pull it out.

 

[aneftp]

Each case is different - can't really lump all addicts together. Plus, there's no such thing as a "former" addict. Once an addict, always an addict. If you're contemplating hiring someone with a history and they tell you they are cured, that's a warning sign.

Addict can be the best of hires, or the worst of hires. Just depends if they have had enough.

Agree 100%. Group I looked at in Florida last year. I asked the main 2 guys why they were looking to hire. They were up front with me. They had hired an addict and he had a "relapse" so they had to get rid of him. Administration was up their you know what because this happened in the locker room inside the hospital

It was the second time they gave someone with an addiction another chance. They told me it will be a long time before they hire another person with a drug history.

 

[yappy]

Addicts are toxic. IMO we should leave needles of K laying around slums labelled as "Morphine" etc. Never, ever trust them or associate yourselves with an addict. They are black holes that will suck the life out of you.

Working in a pre-hospital environment has really opened my eyes. They always say they're cleaning up but in reality they would kill you and your family if it meant they could get another fix.

 

[LongSnow]

Addicts are toxic. IMO we should leave needles of K laying around slums labelled as "Morphine" etc. Never, ever trust them or associate yourselves with an addict. They are black holes that will suck the life out of you.

Working in a pre-hospital environment has really opened my eyes. They always say they're cleaning up but in reality they would kill you and your family if it meant they could get another fix.

Whoa - Lighten up Francis!

The point of my post is you have to beware of sweeping generalizations like the ones iin your post.

You do have to question the wisdom of an addict going back to anesthesia, however. But dude, for a pre-health poster, have a heart. Those addicts are sick as hell.

 

[yappy]

Sorry, you're right. Though, I'm not a bright eye bushy tail 20 y/o pre-health. After military service and pre-hospital work I have lost most of my heart (sympathy). I was being half serious about the K+

Whoa - Lighten up Francis!

The point of my post is you have to beware of sweeping generalizations like the ones iin your post.

You do have to question the wisdom of an addict going back to anesthesia, however. But dude, for a pre-health poster, have a heart. Those addicts are sick as hell.

 

[LongSnow]

Sorry, you're right. Though, I'm not a bright eye bushy tail 20 y/o pre-health. After military service and pre-hospital work I have lost most of my heart (sympathy). I was being half serious about the K+

Don't sweat it. I do pain, and see addiction all the time. You are absoluely right about the kind of behavior an active addict will engage in. The start of this thread demonstrates that!

 

[urge]

Whoa - Lighten up Francis!

The point of my post is you have to beware of sweeping generalizations like the ones iin your post.

You do have to question the wisdom of an addict going back to anesthesia, however. But dude, for a pre-health poster, have a heart. Those addicts are sick as hell.

Who are you to moderate his thoughts?

Attitudes like yours are a big problem in current society.

 

[LongSnow]

Who are you to moderate his thoughts?

Attitudes like yours are a big problem in current society.

And what is my attitude, speaking of reading thoughts?

 

[sevoflurane]

I have known a couple of people who have either expired or have been caught using a controlled substance in a hospital/ASC setting.

All have been excellent physicians. Bad ass cardiac anesthesiologist with years of experience and amazing echo skills found dead in his office. I know a couple of chief residents who have made some serious mistakes in their early professional life.

Funny thing is they are all smart and very competant physicians. It's awful to see such intellect go down that path... with new family members in the mix nonetheless.

Can you imagine going through undergrad, then medical school, then residency, have a baby or two, make some very poor decisoins and then get caught using a controlled substance your first year out as an attending with new family members crawling around?
I'm glad it happened as it probably saved the individuals life. But sheez... what a blow.

It's sad. Really, really sad as most of these people are good people who have deviated off the highway and ended up in a ditch.

To deny someone a second chance after all those accomplishments...?

I don't know... I've seen it work. An academic attending with years of PP experience who has now been sober for 15+ yrs. and is a great person in and out.

Careful screening is key IMO.... but I've never hired someone who has had that type of background.... and honestly, from a business perspective, it IS a liability.

However, I'm a guy who believes in second chances... especially after all that work, dedication and self sacrifice. We are physicians after all, and addiction is a disease that we see daily. It is treatable and succesful in some, but certainly not all.

My 2cents.

 

[LongSnow]

I agree completely - proper selection and then a well thought out re-entry program is the key.

History of addiction is an Americans with Disabilities Act disability, so to not hire someone based only on a history of addiction is discrimination.

Addict Anesthesiologist that re-enter anesthesiology are not much more likely to relapse; it is that if they do relapse, they are much more likely to die from their relapse than other doctors.

Dr. Golden at UF has done much of the research that supports an anesthesiologist returning to anesthesiology. The gist is that with proper monitoring, ongoing counseling, and a re-entry plan, there is a much higher likely hood of success. {Probably a good idea to do a mini version for a while for new hires during the stressful transition period.

Anesthesia re-entry can and certainly has been done very successfully many times.

But there have been epic failures, and these are the cases that people remember. I think an anesthesiologist in recovery should at least consider a non-OR career. Pain and Critical Care are two places folks often go - one year of training that could possibly save their life - that's a bargain.

 

[BLADEMDA]

Well my experience with "addicts" isn't nearly as positive. They lie, cheat and steal. When they do fall off the wagon they cover up their tracks. It is a miserable experience for everyone involved in the process.

If you have a large department and human resources, etc. you can deal with it all. What about the reputation of your practice and the hospital? As far as I'm concerned in this job market certain things makes you a "no hire." Will I admit what those things are? No. But, as a private employer I can choose those to whom a job will be offered or not.

UF has a job opening right now. Dr. Bird is welcome to go there or seek a fellowship after his rehab.

 

[BLADEMDA]

In 1990 a report of 180 cases of substance abuse by residents in anesthesiology published concluded that prolonged abstinence was unusual and that redirection to another medical specialty is the desired course for an individual who abuses parenteral opioids. 44 This study queried directors of U.S. anesthesiology training programs regarding the abuse of parenteral opioids and other drugs by their residents. Of the 180 reported cases, 13 (7%) presented as death pr anoxic brain injury. Of the 167 remaining cases, 113 (67%) were allowed to reenter anesthesiology training. Those abusing opioids had only a 34% success rate reentering anesthesiology, and of the 66% who relapsed, 13 (25%) died as a result. Those abusing other drugs or alcohol had a 70% success rate, and of the 30% who did relapse, only one (13%) died. The authors defined success as an individual who underwent treatment, completed the residency, and had no relapse in practice to the best of the program director’s knowledge.

 

[LongSnow]

Well my experience with "addicts" isn't nearly as positive. They lie, cheat and steal. When they do fall off the wagon they cover up their tracks. It is a miserable experience for everyone involved in the process.

If you have a large department and human resources, etc. you can deal with it all. What about the reputation of your practice and the hospital? As far as I'm concerned in this job market certain things makes you a "no hire." Will I admit what those things are? No. But, as a private employer I can choose those to whom a job will be offered or not.

UF has a job opening right now. Dr. Bird is welcome to go there or seek a fellowship after his rehab.

That's true.

How can you tell if the your applicants are in recovery, or still in active addiction? "Clean" doesn't equate with sober - sober implies an overall wellness. It sucks about your hires, and likely shuts the door for future docs in recovery. I don't blame you, at least twice bitten it sounds.

 

[BLADEMDA]

Physician
.

[FONT=FHCHOO+TimesNewRoman,Times New Roman][FONT=FHCHOO+TimesNewRoman,Times New Roman]The principal risks to the anesthesia providers with addictive disease include: increased risk of death for suicide by drug overdose and drug related death. Unfortunately, the relapse rate for anesthesiologists is the highest of all physicians with a history of narcotic addiction. This risk of relapse is greater in the first 5 years (19%) and decreases as time in recovery increases. The positive news is that 89% of anesthesiologists who complete treatment and commit to "aftercare" remain abstinent for >2 years. However death remains the primary presenting symptom of relapse in opiate addicted anesthesiologists! ..
[FONT=FHCHOO+TimesNewRoman,Times New Roman][FONT=FHCHOO+TimesNewRoman,Times New Roman]..

 

[BLADEMDA]

Drug-addicted anesthesiologists pose danger







By Sharon Kirkey, Postmedia NewsFebruary 11, 2012










They can't wear long sleeves in the operating room, which would hide the track marks on their arms, so they inject the drugs into less visible veins in their legs, thighs or the folds between their toes.
It's not difficult; anesthesiologists are extraordinarily skilled at finding veins.
Some will tape an IV needle and tubing from a vein in their foot to their ankle, or from an arm vein to their back, with a port hanging over their shoulder beneath their scrubs. It makes it easier to secretly inject at work that way.
Anesthesiologists - the doctors who keep patients alive during surgery, who essentially take over our breathing - make up just three per cent of all doctors, but account for 20 to 30 per cent of drug-addicted MDs. Experts say anesthesiologists are overrepresented in addiction treatment programs by a ratio of three to one, compared with any other physician group, an occupational hazard that could pose catastrophic risks to their patients.
Their drugs of choice are most frequently fentanyl and sufentanil, opioids that are 100 and 1,000 times more potent than morphine. They "divert" a portion of the doses meant for their patients to themselves, slipping syringes into their pockets.
And later, alone in the bathroom or the call room, when the drug hits their own bloodstream, the relief, the sense that all is well in the world, the mild euphoria, is immediate.
It can feel as if they're floating.
Unlike heroin addicts, drug-seeking anesthesiologists can't shoot up with a friend, someone who knows what to do if they accidentally overdose, says Dr. Ethan Bryson, author of Addicted Healers: 5 Key Signs Your Healthcare Professional May Be Drug Impaired, due to be published in September.
When everything you have worked so hard for is on the line, when your career is at constant risk, you use alone, he says.
Sometimes, that means dying alone.
"These drugs can take somebody who is at the top of their game, and bring them down very hard and very fast," says Bryson, an associate professor in the departments of anesthesia and psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. "It's a story that a lot of people aren't talking about."
Dr. Paul Farnan has worked in the field of addiction and occupational medicine for more than 20 years.
The Burnaby, B.C., doctor's specialty is assessing and followup monitoring of health professionals - doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists and paramedics - with substance-use disorders.
None is more frightening than the anesthetist with an intravenous opioid addiction, he says, "because they are the colleagues who could die."
Farnan adds: "The danger about writing about this is that it can terrify the public."
The reality, he says, is that the phenomenon of anesthesiologists addicted to the drugs they use on their patients is relatively rare.
Yet the shame and guilt associated with addiction is so deeply entrenched and so profound - especially in professions that command so much public trust, the "pedestal professions," as Farnan calls them - that people are unable to bring themselves to seek help. "And the biggest risk with undiagnosed, evolving addiction in anesthesia," Farnan says, "is accidental fatality by overdose."

Farnan says he cannot think of a case in more than 20 years that he was involved with where a drug-addicted anesthesiologist used in the OR while their patient was under anesthesia.
But Bryson says it happens. Addicts sometimes will inject themselves during cases in the operating room, if they have access, he says, like a hidden "indwelling port" in one of their veins, or during a quick bathroom break. In many cases they use drugs intended for their patients - meaning the patient might get a diluted dose, less than they need, or nothing at all.
A drug-addicted anesthesiologist's patients can arrive in recovery rooms with pain out of proportion to the amount of narcotics they supposedly received during surgery.
Bryson has described how entire cases have been conducted with other drugs that treat the body's physiological responses to pain - drugs that lower heart rate or blood pressure - even though they were "charted" as narcotics. "If the chart says one drug was administered, but the patient is still in a lot of pain, the next logical step is to switch to a stronger agent, because obviously this drug isn't working, and the patient ends up getting an overdose in the recovery room."
Even when they don't feel "high," the drugs can make them feel as if nothing matters in the world. They become distracted and less vigilant - less bothered, Bryson says, by "minor annoyances."
In the U.S., a Demeroladdicted anesthesiologist caused irreversible brain damage to a woman undergoing a routine tubal ligation after he removed her breathing tube too soon while she was still under the influence of anesthesia. Anesthesia drugs paralyze the muscles of the body, including the diaphragm.
The woman was left in a permanent vegetative state.
"There are a lot of unintended consequences that come along with drug use in the operating theatre," Bryson said.
The anesthesiologist's job is to keep patients in a drug-induced state of unconsciousness, paralyzed and unaware. They're also involved with keeping the patient alive. That means maintaining their ventilation, maintaining their oxygen levels and making sure they're "hemodynamically stable," meaning their blood pressure remains constant throughout the procedure.
Surgeons concentrate on the area of surgery - whether it's a knee, heart, lung or brain.
"We're taking care of everything else," says Dr. Richard Chisholm, president of the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society, "every physiological parameter."
"We're dealing with patients who are at risk of instant disaster if we screw up," said Dr. Brian Warriner, professor and chair of the department of anesthesiology, pharmacology and therapeutics at the University of British Columbia.
THE DRUGS MOST COMMONLY ABUSED BY ANESTHESIOLOGISTS
Fentanyl, (100 times more potent than morphine)
Sufentanil, (1,000 times more potent than morphine)
Meperidine, (Demerol)
Hydromorphine, (Dilaudid) (five times more potent than morphine)
Propofol, used as induction agent (to induce a state of general anesthesia) as a single dose, or to maintain a state of general anesthesia if given as an infusion inhaled agents that induce a state of general anesthesia and can be used to maintain that state so long as they are breathed in
Oral benzodiazepines, (such as Valium or intravenous ones such as midazolam) used to reduce pre-operative anxiety and produce" anterograde amnesia" (so the patient won't remember what happened after they were put under)
Time until detection: Fentanyl: Six to 12 months Sufentanil: One to six months Other injected drugs: Less than one year Alcohol: More than 20 years, usually







Read more: http://www.leaderpost.com/health/Drug+addicted+anesthesiologists+pose+danger/6136553/story.html#ixzz1vyxHJ8Th

 

[BLADEMDA]

Anesthesia practice groups that employ an addicted anesthesiologist may also face significantly increased liability exposure in the event of a lawsuit with allegations of substance abuse. In addition to the possibility the individual addicted anesthesiologist may not have insurance coverage, the anesthesia practice group's corporate assets may be at risk due to punitive or exemplary damage claims.

 

[sevoflurane]

Would you feel the same way if a 50 y/o anesthesiologist had a history of a misdemeanor DUI during their college years. Say his/her conviction was 25 years ago and he/she has had a clean record since that time.

What if the applicant was being interviewed for a job in your group? How would you handle that situation?

I personally would keep an open mind. People makes dumb mistakes... especially during college.

 

[deleted103644]

Wasn't an MD, but there's also that recent case of someone at Mayo double-dipping in the Fentanyl and exposing thousands to Hep C. Huge liability issue.

A doctor would probably at least know better, but when someone's an addict you never know how much their judgment might be impaired.

 

[BLADEMDA]

Would you feel the same way if a 50 y/o anesthesiologist had a history of a misdemeanor DUI during their college years. Say his/her conviction was 25 years ago and he/she has had a clean record since that time.

What if the applicant was being interviewed for a job in your group? How would you handle that situation?

I personally would keep an open mind. People makes dumb mistakes... especially during college.

College? Come on. We are talking about Physicians after Medical School here. PostGraduate years or later drug addicts. I have met more than a few addicts "clean and sober" for 10 plus years. They made it. But, would I hire them?

If I was interviewing someone with a recent drug/alcohol problem (less than 5 years) I would be cordial and respectful but there is no freaking way I would want to hire them.

 

[pgg]

I wonder how many who support a return to anesthesia practice would get on board with the military giving a rehab'd addict a second chance to fly an F22 or B2.

Since the last time we had this debate I've watched another colleague's life implode because of blue syringes.

 

[cincincyreds]

College? Come on. We are talking about Physicians after Medical School here. PostGraduate years or later drug addicts. I have met more than a few addicts "clean and sober" for 10 plus years. They made it. But, would I hire them?

If I was interviewing someone with a recent drug/alcohol problem (less than 5 years) I would be cordial and respectful but there is no freaking way I would want to hire them.

I agree, but then again I have zero say about anything in my group.

 

[sevoflurane]

I'm a little different I guess.

3 years ago we hired a guy who had a history of DUI w/in a 6 yr. period.

49 year old BC MD. Perfect record before the incident.

He caught his wife cheating on him with his best friend and next door neighbor. Ugly divorce, with kids, screwed for more than 1/2 his worth etc, etc....[/I]

He had a bad couple of months before he climbed out of that hole.

Unfortunately, he got a DUI during his low time.

We knew he had this on his record when we interviewed him. However, he had years of experience (cardiac, peds, PP in a big group, well connected, etc, etc.), had a fantastic personality and seemed like an up and up kind of guy.

He interviewed well... and some of us really enjoyed him and what he brought to the table.

We interviewed a lot of other individuals. But he seemed like a good fit. So we gave him a chance... We decided to stick OUR necks out.

(..... although we said we'd hold his bonus for a year due to his past issues.)

Long story short... we hit gold.

This guy is super solid. So much so, we gave him full partnership after 6 months.

Team player, good at what he does, and is THE quintessential perfect partner. Literally bends over backwards for his team, is insightful and is extremely competent when it counts.

I see him as a Top 3 in my group.

Too boot. He is happy and out of troubles. Past his mistakes.... and doing WELL.

I'm glad we were able to screen him appropriately and hire him.


Some individuals deserve a second chance. Forgiveness and encouragement are qualities that are not outside of medicine.... we are ALL human.

We made the right choice and are happy to have him as part of our clan.

My 2 cents.

 

[pgg]

Sevo, a DUI is not close to the same thing as an opiate abuser.

I wouldn't view a single DUI as a dealbreaker, IF everything else looked OK.

 

[sevoflurane]

Sevo, a DUI is not close to the same thing as an opiate abuser.

I wouldn't view a single DUI as a dealbreaker, IF everything else looked OK.

That is my point. It shouldn't be.

 

[sevoflurane]

Some people equate both scenarios as equal. That is not right IMO.