NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - A report filed by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is painting a clearer picture of the events that led to a patient receiving a fatal dose of the wrong drug while she was at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville NBC-affiliate WSMV reports.
75-year-old Charlene Murphy died December 26, 2017 after receiving a fatal dose of Vecuronium Bromide, a drug that causes paralysis. Murphy was supposed to receive Versed, which treats anxiety.
Radonda Vaught is the nurse who administered the wrong drug. She is facing charges of patient abuse and reckless homicide. Vaught was let go from VUMC on January 3, 2018.
The TBI's investigative report of the incident was released Wednesday. Investigators say Vaught admitted thinking, "I probably just killed a patient" after the incident, which she described as a "horrible situation." Vaught said she "f---ed up."
Prosecutors say Vaught missed at least 10 warnings and red flags in the process of administering the deadly drug, including multiple warnings that the drugs is a "paralyzing agent."
The bottle for Vecronium Bromide is red and the cap reads "WARNING: PARALYZING AGENT." Prosecutors say she would have had to look directly at that warning while drawing the medication into the syringe.
Vaught told investigators she was distracted talking to a new employee during the incident.