Anesthesiologist Convicted for Injecting Lethal Drugs into IV Bags at Dallas Surgical Center

An anesthesiologist, Dr. Raynaldo Riviera Ortiz Jr., 60, has been found guilty of committing egregious criminal acts within a surgical center where he was employed. The jury convicted him on four counts of tampering with consumer products resulting in serious bodily injury, one count of tampering with a consumer product, and five counts of intentional adulteration of a drug.

Dr. Ortiz's actions led to the tragic death of a coworker and caused cardiac emergencies for several patients at Surgicare North Dallas. Prosecutors stated that the evidence presented at trial revealed that numerous patients suffered cardiac emergencies during routine medical procedures between May 2022 and August 2022. Additionally, an anesthesiologist who had worked at the facility earlier that day died while using an IV bag to treat dehydration.

Prosecution's Statement

U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton expressed, "Dr. Ortiz cloaked himself in the white coat of a healer, but instead of curing pain, he inflicted it." This statement emphasizes the severity of the harm caused by Dr. Ortiz's actions.

Evidence presented during the trial revealed that Dr. Ortiz surreptitiously placed tainted IV bags into a warming bin at the facility, intending for them to be used in his colleagues' surgeries. It was further disclosed that at the time of the emergencies, Dr. Ortiz was facing disciplinary action for an alleged medical mistake made in one of his own surgeries.

Dr. Ortiz, who has been in custody since his arrest in September 2022, faces a potential sentence of up to 190 years in prison. The sentencing date has not yet been set for him.