The Michael Jackson trial has been back in the news lately due to jury selection for the trial against Dr. Conrad Murray. This will prove to be an extremely difficult task. There is hardly a person on the planet who is not familiar with the case. Finding an unbiased juror will be, in my opinion, impossible. The death of Michael Jackson gained international attention instantly. Added to the media craze over the death of the King of Pop was the information that his death resulted from gross medical malpractice which has been deemed a homicide.
I am not nor have I ever been a fan of Michael Jackson although I am sympathetic for his family, friends and fans. My interest in this case stems from my interest in medicine. As a critical care nurse, I have administered propofol more times than I can count. I would never administer this medication to someone who is not on a ventilator. The major side effect of propofol is respiratory depression. This means that whenever you give the drug you take the chance that the patient could stop breathing. Propofol should only be administered in a health care setting with lifesaving equipment and professionals trained in CPR. In spite of these dangers, police did not find any monitors, controlled infusion pumps, defibrillators, or other equipment in the room where Jackson died. They did find an empty oxygen cylinder. There were also reports that this cardiologist did not even perform CPR correctly at the scene. The complete disregard for safety is astounding to me. In fact, I would say negligence at this level can only be intentional homicide or complete stupidity. Conrad admits to administering the medication along with other powerful sedatives to help Jackson sleep. This confession in combination with the evidence found at the scene should make it easy to convict this sad excuse for a physician.
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