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THE IV USED to administer a lethal injection to a US death row inmate during a recent botched execution was badly placed and not properly monitored, an inquiry has found.
Clayton Lockett, a convicted murderer and rapist, was put to death in Oklahoma on 29 April using an untested three-drug protocol in a process that took 43 minutes — well over the expected time of a little over 10 minutes.
Authorities said Lockett, who was seen writhing in pain, bucking off the gurney and mumbling unintelligibly, ultimately died of a massive heart attack.
The incident drew widespread condemnation and led the state to temporarily halt executions and order an investigation.
According to a 32-page report made public by the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, “the physician and paramedic attempted IV placement access in multiple locations and were unsuccessful” before doing so in the right groin area and administering the anesthetic Midazolam followed by the two other drugs.
The physician noticed the IV failure some 20 minutes later when the inmate “began to move and make sounds on the execution table.”
While trying in vain to insert the IV into the femoral artery and elsewhere,” the physician made the observation that the drugs appeared to be absorbing into Lockett’s tissue.”
His heart stopped shortly after the execution was interrupted and he was pronounced dead at 7:06 pm, 43 minutes after the first injection at 6:23 pm, the report said.
“This investigation concluded the viability of the IV access point was the single greatest factor that contributed to the difficulty in administering the execution drugs,” the investigators said.However, “the IV failure complicated the ability to determine the effectiveness of the drugs,” they added.
The investigators listed a series of recommendations, including the creation of a “formal and continuing training program for execution personnel.”
Lawyers for death row inmates regularly criticise what they see as the lack of qualifications of those administering lethal injections in the 32 US states that allow capital punishment.
The report calls for executions not to be scheduled within seven calendar days of each other, highlighting that it was “apparent the stress level” at the facility in question was elevated because two executions were scheduled for 29 April — a first since 2000.
In the end, the second one was called off due to what happened with Lockett.
The report also recommends that an IV catheter insertion point or points “should remain visible during all phases of the execution and continuously observed by a person with proper medical training in assessing the ongoing viability of an IV.”
More questions than answers
In a statement, Lockett’s lawyer said “the state’s internal investigation raises more questions than it answers.”
“Once the execution was clearly going wrong, it should have been stopped, but it wasn’t,” Dale Baich said.
“Whoever allowed the execution to continue needs to be held accountable,” he added, noting that a pending federal lawsuit now presented the “best chance” to determine what happened.
Deborah Denno, a professor at Fordham University School of Law, said the the challenges with IV access, hindered visibility and inadequately trained personnel were all foreseeable problems in Lockett’s case due to previously botched executions.
“The need for more ‘thorough research and review’ of these procedures has been urged repeatedly over the decades, yet regularly ignored by departments of corrections,” she said in an email.
“Our country’s confidence in states’ abilities to conduct executions properly has reached the lowest point.”
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The main thing is that the conversation has started in Government on how best to stop the Ukrainians taking advantage of us Irish taxpayers.
We love our new friends in Treasure Ireland,very friendly and generous,
Make sure the jet is big enough to make it to China, last time Eamon Ryan traveled there to celebrate St Patrick’s Day he was forced to book a carbon-heavy 1st class seat with the general public on board the plane, how unfitting for an Irish government minister, and make sure it can be fueled by cabbage juice to keep the Greens happy, not one of this extremely polluting fossil fuel powered private jets.
@john dennehy: So you have a problem with Ireland,a tiny part free island at the end of Europe and the whole world celebrating our day and government ministers going around the world to further our country or you just want to have a go at the green party which is fine but it’s very important we milk every st Patrick’s Day around the world for our island of Ireland
@Daniel Roche: No, I have a problem with Eamon Ryan flying 1st class when every other day he is preaching to the rest of us about reducing our carbon footprints to save the planet, Eamon should practice what he preaches and lead by example and he should also know first-class tickets on a long-haul flight emits, on average, four times as much as an economy seat or maybe he just forgets these facts when it suits him and can’t wait to jump on the governments new private jet for his next jolly.
The real problem was the make it up as you go along refugee crisis just to make Martin and Varadkar appear to be world statesmen , until reality caught up with them .
A small country like lreland doesn’t need a jet or any other kind of aircraft that what is rong with this country
@John Boyle: It does really,the jet isn’t just used for our government.
Definitely have to limit the amount the amount we are paying the refugees met loads recently in my local all having a laugh and drinking shorts of whiskey to beat the band €8 a short , talked to a few of them and most said why would they need to work if we are so generous with our social welfare payments that really P***ed me being self employed having to make my oven living yet other get all for free they should be cut off and made to contribute like any others as we are not a charity this is tax payers money and I pay my taxes , enough is enough we need a radical change Ireland is like a refugee hotel most living the life of Reilly
What are all their advisors doing?. Do they not communicate with one another?.
It’s a lazy excuse.
So rain in October in Ireland is proof that climate change is here & now…sweet Jesus!!!
‘He ‘had’ to travel on a commercial flight …’
And?
So the plane broke down, he got stranded so they all got confused and started shouting at each other.
Thank god it wasn’t anything serious!
And on Micheal Martin’s planet that all makes perfect sense and he did a wonderful job yet again.May he never have to face reality or he’s in for some shock.
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