One of the stories making the news here in Italy is the arrest of Daniela Poggiali, 42, a nurse who is accused of killing at least 38 of her patients because she found them or their relatives to be annoying. She was initially charged in the death of an elderly patient and now police believe that she is a serial killer.
The case of Rosa Calderoni draw attention of the authorities because she been admitted for a routine illness and when she died there were high levels of potassium in her bloodstream. At least 10 other deaths are now being listed as “very suspicious”.
Prosecutor Rossella Materia called her a sadist who “who draws pleasure in provoking the death of the patients in her care.” One picture on her phone reportedly shows her giving a thumbs up next to when of her patients who had died seconds before. The public statements are an interesting dimension since Italy prosecutes people for criminal libel, as in the abusive case against the parents of Amanda Knox that we discussed earlier. While comments against the police can bring a charge, it clearly does not apply when prosecutors make such comments against individuals.
Even a colleague described her as a “cold person who was always eager to work.” This included the allegation from a co-worker that Poggiali would give patients strong laxatives at the end of her shift to make work more difficult for the nurses taking over.
Poggiali told police that she is innocent and the victim of a conspiracy by her enemies.
The case could prove very difficult given the length of time that has passed.
Source: MSN
A SECOND healthcare worker in Dallas has just tested positive. We ARE NOT PREPARED. The Administration has lied to all of us once again. They need to stop telling us to “stay calm” and hire some people from the real world, not academia, and train the frontline people, our healthcare workers, on how to combat this scourge. Ironically, all of the people who have battled Ebola in West Africa are Christian Missionaries, I hope Freedom From Religion doesn’t have a problem w/ us contracting w/ these brave people who know protocol and can teach it to ALL healthcare workers.
Paul, huh? What are you talking about? Nurses jealous over what? Paul, here have a cookie and sit down quietly and think about what you are saying when you write a comment. Your last one sounded like gibberish to me.
Annie – I have worked with enough nurses and nursing students to understand the culture. However, Annie, just for you, I will go back to basics. People are human and have human jealousies. People are jealous when other have better degrees or better jobs than they have. Now this does not happen all the time, so we cannot say it is universal, but common enough that the police will use it as a motive for murder.
So, using this paradigm: the LPNs are jealous of the RNs and the RNs and LPNs are jealous of the MSNs. I have seen the same thing happen in the educational community, so it is not just the nursing profession.
Having said this, there are LPNs who are happy their whole life to be LPNs. Or RNs to be RNs their whole life. They are comfortable with who they are and with what they have done. They could care less that someone has a better job, makes more money or has a better degree. They take great joy in the job they are doing and need no more.
Ok, hell has frozen over and I find myself in agreement with Spinelli. It may never ever happen again.
Given what I have learned about the Italian police and the Italian legal system, I would not put a lot of store in any stories right now. In fact, at some point we should be expecting the Italian police to connect this all to Satanism.
Annie – you of all people know that things can get over-blown in a hospital setting. Everyone is at blame if you look directly for it. Even with your MSN you were a target for abuse from RNs or LPNs who were jealous of your degree and wanted to get you in trouble.
I am tough on unions. But, I grew up in a blue collar union family. I know what they are supposed to do and how they have morphed into bloated, fat cat, enterprises, who care more about the executives than the workers. But, you all know my take. All that said, I am going to praise the nurses union. They have stepped up quickly and righteously in protesting the lack of training for nurses regarding the Ebola virus. A brave Vietnamese RN, w/ a bachelors degree from TCU, is fighting for her life after trying to save the life of the lying Liberian who just died. In a disgusting display of cover your ass, the CDC chief tried to blame this brave nurse by saying she “didn’t follow protocol.” HORSESHIT! These healthcare workers have not been trained in protocol. You can’t just read a manual. Getting in and out of hazmat suits and decontaminating is COMPLICATED and takes practice. The Nurses Union has stepped up on this and that weasel CDC guy, you know the prick, the one who keeps telling us to “stay calm” backed down and stopped blaming the nurse.
We have a potential epidemic. Despite all the assurances from this feckless Obama Administration, WE ARE NOT PREPARED. It was blatantly obvious in our FIRST CASE.
Ken, I saw that piece on Charles Cullen. Chilling.
Every nurse has worked wih a Nurse Ratched at some point in their career. It takes a great deal of patience not to kill her…
….just kidding!
Remember “one flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest”:
(Nurse Ratched (Big Nurse)).
Dredd I remember Nurse Racthed That was a great book and movie. I read it more times than once and saw it many times. A classic 🙂 I think everyone should take a deep breath here and say OOOmmmmmm
If every nurse who killed their patients or their relatives who were annoying….whoa. It isn’t a profession for some people that’s for certain. Losing one’s own humanity or losing sight of one’s patients humanity and some pathology is a deadly combo. I know what the nurses who followed her shift must’ve thought about her when all their patients had loose stools. There was a nurse that I worked with that we suspected of doing the same thing, not killing, just giving massive amounts of laxatives to the patients so as to give the nurses on the next shift more work and the patients discomfort. There are mean cruel people in every line of work, but in healthcare it’s extraordinarily troubling, where we hold the comfort and even lives of our patients in our hands.
Reminds me of the N.J. Angel Of Death. Charles Cullen, working as a hospital nurse.
The man known as the most prolific serial killer in New Jersey history, said he thought he was “helping” suffering patients as he injected dozens of them with deadly poisons while working as a hospital nurse.
Cullen is currently serving 11 life terms at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton for sneaking into patients’ hospital rooms and administering the lethal doses over a period of 16 years.
What makes this guy tick? Connect the dots. Great video for PI folks.
After the Amanda Knox, Raffaele Sollecito, Meredeth Kercher case noone should rush to believe any Italian police or justice system.
The “I wuz framed” defense. How often does that work?
I know, that’s sick. but I have heard worse on here in my defense
LOLOL Tyger
This nurse must have been running out of patients who tried her patience.
Tyger Gilbert
This nurse must have been running out of patients who tried her patience.
UUUhhhh maybe she just plain ran out of patients after the overdose of laxatives-they all ran through the cracks or something 🙂
A serial killer can be anyone with a box of Cheerios, or Wheaties, or . . .
Well, I never, I thought serial killers were just men 🙂
She is creepy. I avoid judging anyone but this woman is creepy as all get out. It’s my firm belief that whacks like this persĂ®st close to far too many completely unnoticed.
If one has ever stood knee deep in any ocean statistically you have had a shark capable of rendering you quite dead within striking stance. I suggest the same is true on land.
You get an odd feeling causing you to not linger. My friend once tried to set me up on a blind date who happened to live above the same well loved bakery as Florida maniac Bobbie Joe long. When I get those odd feelings I mind them lol
One has to wonder how effective the oversight on health care workers is in Italy, though there have been incidents such as this in a few cases also.
Sickening this case.
I read some time ago that France, I believe it was, makes it a crime to identify certain persons accused of crimes before they reach a stage in the criminal procedure. It’s been a year or so since I read the French statutes so I could be incorrect.
Sounds like one “friendly” nurse! Yikes!