A former Iowa paramedic is facing charges after allegedly giving the wrong medication to a 26-year-old man and then not acting quickly enough to save him.
According to authorities, 46-year-old Deanna Fay LaMere meant to give ketamine to help calm down a patient named James Foster Jr. Instead, she accidentally injected him with rocuronium — a drug that causes paralysis... Continue reading here ▶
She reportedly only realized her mistake when she returned to the ambulance for what she thought would be a second dose of ketamine.
Rocuronium is usually only given in very serious situations, and anyone who receives it must be put on a ventilator almost immediately.
Because Foster was injected with the drug, there was a brief delay before it took full effect, but not enough to prevent serious harm.
While being loaded into the ambulance, Foster said he couldn’t breathe. He soon lost consciousness and went limp.
Emergency responders performed CPR on the way to the hospital, but Foster died two days later on August 20, 2023. The medical examiner ruled that his death was caused by the rocuronium.
Prosecutors say LaMere knew what rocuronium would do and how to treat someone who had received it, but she didn’t follow the proper steps.
She also allegedly did not tell anyone about the mistake right away. LaMere is charged with involuntary manslaughter, and it’s unclear when she stopped working as a paramedic.
