Nurse Diverts Fentanyl, Midazolam, Propofol for Personal Use
Nurse Diverts Fentanyl, Midazolam, Propofol for Personal Use
Colorado nurse sentenced to prison would falsely document administration in patient charts and use the fentanyl on himself.
A Colorado Advanced Nurse Practitioner and Registered Nurse Kurt Vasquez was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for illegally obtaining fentanyl through fraud and deception while working in the catheterization lab at a hospital.
Vasquez was a contract nurse placed at a hospital in the summer 2019. Shortly after his placement, he began executing a plan to obtain fentanyl, midazolam, and propofol for his personal use. Between June 2019 and September 2019, he obtained more drugs than was necessary for scheduled procedures and then kept the drugs for himself. On some occasions, he also falsely documented in patient charts that he had administered drugs that were not actually administered. The defendant also took filled syringes, used the drugs himself, and then falsely stated that he had used the syringes on a patient. On at least two occasions, the defendant flushed used syringes and vials down a toilet, which caused flooding in the hospital.
Approximate date(s) of the diversion:
06/01/2019
Where the Diversion Occurred:
Denver Health Medical Center
777 Bannock St, Denver, CO 80204
Type of Healthcare Facility:
Hospital
Person Diverting:
Kurt Vasquez
Profession of the person diverting:
Nurse
Patients were injured. Were they infected, filed lawsuits, or died as a result of this diversion incident?
Did not receive pain medications
Has the incident been reported?
e.g. to local law enforcement, county board of health, state licensure board, and/or federal DEA or FDA authorities?
Yes
To whom has the incident been reported?
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
