Supervision established "suspicious death" of another Radan's patient

Patient died soon after receiving an increased dose of propofol

The findings of the commissions show that the circumstances of the death of the patient in January last year were quite similar as in the first case of suspicious death. Foto: BoBo

The commission performed the internal control of the second disputable case of patient death at the Department of Neurology of the UMC Ljubljana, treated by Ivan Radan. It was established that the medical treatment was not in compliance with the rules.

At the department of neurology intensive therapy of the UMC Ljubljana a patient admitted for sudden brain haemorrhage died in the end of January last year. The treating physician on the day of his death was Ivan Radan, suspected of prescribing a fatal dose of potassium to another patient, a case also being investigated by internal control.

The commission has established that the medical treatment was not in compliance with professional guidelines and rules of medical profession.

Nurses verified the dosage several times
The report includes the happening on the fatal day. Several hours before the patient's death, Radan prescribed a rather high dose of morphine to be injected, which the commission considered relatively high. One hour later he ordered the dose to be increased. "Without a clear indication such high dose of morphine could have shortened the life of the patient," the documentation states. Two hours later the infusion of morphine was suspended.

For several hours before his death the patient was being administered a high dose of propofol, which was not entered into the sheet with daily instructions by the doctor, yet it was noted on the temperature sheet, but covered with correction fluid.

Two nurses had asked Radan several times of the dosage that should be set, as they considered the one he prescribed too high, but Radan kept telling them to leave the setting as it was (2% of propofol and 999 ml/h). According to the opinion of the commission, the quantity had largely exceeded the doses intended for palliative treatment. Such dose can cause death. After a short period of time the patient died.

The report also says that the nurses had supposedly overheard that "the patient's story would be soon over".

Radan had no wish to cooperate with the commission
When interrogated by the commission, Radan claimed that he could not recall all the details, and wanted to see the original documents. As the originals were seized by the police, he was offered copies, but based on that he refused to continue the discourse.

A. S., translated by G. K.