The best trained and intentioned people can do things no one would expect, under dire cirscumstances like these. WHile I DO feel bad for Dr. Pou and the nurses, I have to look at what so far has been reported. It’s really going to be hard to justify the physical evidence of those drugs being in these people’s decomposed bodies when there were no MD orders for them prior to the event; it’s going to be hard to knock down witnesses who overheard the doctor and nurses speak of putting people “out of their misery” and walk off with syrienges in their hands…
I really do hope this isn’t true; I like to think there is another explanation. I don’t buy the “poor patient was in so much pain we medicated them” bullshit.

I work with very acutlely needy patients and we have worked under some pretty bad situations: No power and no back up for hours where we manually vented 20 patients for hour after hour; where we manually checked VS and did bolus feeds (vs. pumps); although no where near the same, I can say I have worked under horrible conditions and the patients always came first- their life over mine. They’re needs over mine; their comfort over mine.

Time will tell. The excuses of the situation will not fly though. At all.

I trained under Dr. Anna Pou when she was a teaching professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX. I can attest to Dr. Pou’s dedication to her patients, concern for the poor and indigent, and devotion to her profession. She is not only a very skilled Head and Neck Surgeon/Oncologist, but also a person who has a desire to help mankind.

It does not surprise me that she altruistically volunteered to help during the devastating Katrina catastrophe. It is difficult for me to imagine the events that took place- no electricity, limited resources, flooding, mayhem, looting, and gunshots on the streets with critically ill patients to take care of. It is easy for us bystanders to judge the events that transpired. The facts are that us others fled (FEMA, government officials including the mayor, New Orleans Police, and other medical professionals); Dr. Pou and those brave nurses stayed and were tested like none of us have been before. I don’t know if political or entertainment value are the factors that brought these brave soldiers to trial. Be it what it may, I’m sure Dr. Pou and the nurses will be found to be one of the great heroes of this extremely tragic tale. I would hope we the people would bring the true culprits to trial: the federal, state, and local government who didn;t show up on time.

I agree with the previous poster “Timmah” and “Juliana”. I also wonder where the administration of the hospital had dissapeared to.

Shame on the administration for not evacuating the hospital prior to the storm. They had the warning. Im sure there was a TENET jet somewhere that could have been used for evacuation. Perhaps, these individuals would not have been placed in such an ethical dilemma. For many years there have been advisories/role plays/”what-if” scenarios relating to the implications of a major hurricane hitting New Orleans. Yet, no real plans. The administrators FAILED miserably.

I would not begin to pass judgement upon these people who obviously acted with compassion not malice. I like to believe I would not have made the same choices. In fairness, I am not smoltering in 100+ degrees for several days without nutrition or fluids. I did not witness patients lying in their own fluids/waste. I was not faced with how to evacuate a 380 pound pt through several feet of flood water.

Perhaps, the employees were becoming delusional themselves and anarchy had obviously set in. In all probability, “group think” was at work.

That’s what this “euthansia” case looks like. yeah, it’s a medxia circus and all, but if recall correctly (and I find little to go on by Googling), the complaining physician, Dr. Bryant King was a black man panned by the accuse…

Still… it’s one thing to condone asisted suicide, when the would be suicide is cognizant and able to make their own decisions vs. helpless victims in hospital.

I don’t think even if I were the most cold hearted doctor in the world that I’d just be able to kill patients.

I patiently await a full explaination.