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Autopsy report leads to revoked certifications of Texas paramedic

The Texas Department of State Health Services found the medic did not adhere to protocols and compromised the patient’s condition

By Bill Carey
EMS1

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Department of State Health Services revoked an Allegiance Mobile Health paramedic’s certifications due to a recent autopsy report implicating the paramedic’s actions in a patient’s death earlier this year.

According to the autopsy report, a middle-aged man had suffered a head injury from striking a coffee table. The report revealed that the patient was administered sedation medication, and the paramedic failed to properly open the patient’s airway, KXAN reported.

“This led to a compromise to his already diseased heart leading to death,” the autopsy report, quoted in the DHS letter, read. 

The letter indicated that the paramedic did not adhere to the protocols set forth by the agency’s medical director, Dr. Alicia D. Hart, MD, who commented in the DSHS letter.

“This medic deviated from established protocols and even permitted a basic responder to administer a controlled substance. The level of care provided during this incident did not meet the standards I anticipate for our patients.”

The letter stated the paramedic has 30 days to formally appeal the decision.

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