Ex-nurse in Japan arrested for allegedly killing patient by injecting faeces into IV tube
A former nurse in Japan was arrested on Wednesday (15 July) on suspicion of killing a hospital patient by injecting faeces into the extension tube of his intravenous (IV) drip.
The 51-year-old woman, identified as Miyuki Furukawa, has denied the allegation, saying she did not put faeces into the tube.
Source: The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun on Facebook
Security footage shows her entering patient’s room
Furukawa is accused of causing the death of 75-year-old Eiji Aida, who was receiving treatment at Kashiwa Tanaka Hospital in Chiba Prefecture.
At the time of the incident, Furukawa was the head nurse on duty during the night shift.
Hospital surveillance footage reportedly showed her entering Mr Aida’s room at about 3.55am on 30 Jan and leaving roughly one minute later.
Around five minutes after that, an assistant nurse making her rounds heard Mr Aida complain that he was in distress.
The nurse then noticed that the liquid inside the IV extension tube had turned brown.
Source: isayildiz from Getty Images Signature on Canva, for illustration purposes only
Investigators believe faeces may have been injected into a side port used to administer medication, possibly with a syringe.
They also suspect that the substance had been taken from a hospital room used to process and store patients’ bodily waste.
Mr Aida’s condition deteriorated, and he was confirmed dead at around 10.30pm on 31 Jan.
His death was attributed to multiple organ failure caused by sepsis. Bacteria commonly found in human faeces were later detected in his blood.
A hospital employee alerted the police on 1 Feb after raising concerns that a foreign substance might have been introduced into the tube.
Former nurse had reportedly argued with patient
Investigators found that Furukawa and Mr Aida had previously been involved in disputes, including an argument.
Authorities also discovered that she had searched online using words asking whether injecting faeces could kill someone.
Furukawa left Kashiwa Tanaka Hospital at the end of February and was working as a midwife at a hospital in Tokyo at the time of her arrest.
Source: Google Maps, for illustration purposes only
Chiba prefectural police are investigating whether she held a grievance against Mr Aida, as well as the circumstances and possible motive behind the incident.
The organisation that operates Kashiwa Tanaka Hospital said it was cooperating fully with the investigation and described the alleged act as unacceptable for both a healthcare worker and a human being.
Also read: Nurse in Germany gets life imprisonment for killing 10 patients to reduce workload
Nurse in Germany gets life imprisonment for killing 10 patients to reduce workload
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Featured image adapted from The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun on Facebook and Portafolio Celiafoto on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
Ex-nurse in Japan allegedly injects faeces into elderly patient’s IV tube, he later dies of sepsis
