Medical Technician Cut Off Oxygen Supply To Intensive Care Because Nurse Took His Pen

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  • Post category:Crime

Story By: Feza Uzay, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency:  Newsflash

A hospital technician has apologised after cutting off the supply to the intensive care ward and allegedly killing a patient in the process because a male nurse had jokingly taken his pen.

The technician was identified as Fatih K., 35, a biomedical technician working in the intensive care unit of a hospital in the district of Sisli in the north-western Turkish province of Istanbul.

He had been arguing with the male nurse, identified only as Ekrem K., whose age was not disclosed, when the tragedy happened on the evening of 20th February 2020.

Yusuf Sanin, 56, (right) died in the intensive care unit because his oxygen was cut off by the medical technician Fatih K. who argued with the male nurse Ekrem K. in Istanbul, Turkey. (@cigdem.menguverdi/Newsflash)

Ekrem allegedly took the pen from Fatih’s scrubs pocket to sign some documents.

Fatih was angry that Ekrem had not asked for permission to take the pen, and he demanded it back. And when Ekrem decided to tease him and refused, he lost his temper.

Growing angrier and angrier, the technician was allegedly heard saying: “Give me the pen, or I will cut off the oxygen to the intensive care unit.”

Yusuf Sanin, 56, (left) died in the intensive care unit because his oxygen was cut off by the medical technician Fatih K. who argued with the male nurse Ekrem K. in Istanbul, Turkey. (@cigdemsanin/Newsflash)

Ekrem thought it was a joke and continued to tease Fatih, believing, he said, that he would never do anything so stupid, and he continued to refuse to hand the pen over.

But to his horror, Fatih opened the cover of the oxygen panel in the intensive care unit and suddenly closed the valve that sends oxygen to the ICU.

The sudden cutting off of the oxygen supply caused an alarm to go off in the hospital, leaving patients gasping for breath.

Yusuf Sanin, 56, (pictured) died in the intensive care unit because his oxygen was cut off by the medical technician Fatih K. who argued with the male nurse Ekrem K. in Istanbul, Turkey. (Newsflash)

One of them, Yusuf Sanin, 56, who was one of Ekrem’s patients in the intensive care unit, suddenly started to experience severe difficulties, and he later died.

Police are now investigating whether the patient, who was intubated in the intensive care unit, died due to the closure of the valve.

The hospital launched an immediate administrative investigation into the incident, and statements were taken from the ICU staff.

Yusuf Sanin, 56, (pictured) died in the intensive care unit because his oxygen was cut off by the medical technician Fatih K. who argued with the male nurse Ekrem K. in Istanbul, Turkey. (Newsflash)

Fatih, in his statement, reportedly apologised, saying: “When the argument turned into a row, I just decided to do it. After turning off the oxygen valve, I said ‘come and open it yourself then’ and left the scene.

“After closing the valve, the alarm did not sound immediately. About a minute later, the alarm went off. It was something I shouldn’t have done. I am really sad. There is no explanation for what I did.”

The hospital applied first to the Ministry of Health and then to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to initiate a criminal investigation against Fatih, who has been dismissed from the hospital.

The medical technician Fatih K. (pictured) cut the oxygen of Yusuf Sanin, 56, in the intensive care unit after arguing with the male nurse Ekrem K. in Istanbul, Turkey. (Newsflash)

The Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation against the suspect on the charge of ‘causing death by negligence’.

It is unclear whether the investigation is still ongoing and whether the suspect is being held in pre-trial detention.

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