DALLAS — A physician specializing in anesthesia has been sentenced to an extensive prison term of 190 years after performing dangerous actions at a surgical facility that ultimately resulted in the death of a colleague and numerous cardiac emergencies among patients. The anesthesiologist injected a nerve-blocking substance along with other medications into intravenous fluid bags at the surgical center, prompting serious health crises shortly thereafter.

The troubling incidents began occurring two days after Raynaldo Riviera Ortiz Jr. was informed of a disciplinary investigation regarding a previous anesthesia procedure where a patient experienced a medical emergency due to his alleged failure to adhere to proper care standards.

Ortiz had a history filled with prior disciplinary issues and vocally expressed his belief that the surgical center was attempting to unduly punish him, referring to their actions as a form of “crucifixion.”

Court records reveal that Ortiz, who was taken into custody in September 2022 and found guilty in April, chose not to appear at his sentencing hearing in federal court. There has been no immediate response from his legal representative regarding the case.

According to statements from prosecutors, numerous patients at Surgicare North Dallas experienced cardiac emergencies while undergoing routine procedures conducted by various medical staff between May and August 2022. Among those affected was another anesthesiologist who tragically died after using a hydration IV bag sourced from the same facility.

The staff at the surgical center deduced that these alarming cases indicated a pattern of deliberate tampering with the IV bags utilized at their establishment. In total, they identified 10 additional unexpected cardiac events that transpired during normal surgeries in the lead-up to Ortiz’s arrest. The frequency of these complications within such a brief timeframe was notably alarming, as highlighted in the court complaint.

Following his arrest, the Texas Medical Board promptly suspended Ortiz’s medical license, reflecting the seriousness of his actions and their consequences on patient safety.