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A now-former Iowa paramedic is facing charges after allegedly giving a man in need the wrong medication — and then failing to act quickly enough to save him.
Deanna Fay LaMere, 46, who worked as a paramedic with Sioux City Fire Rescue, is accused of injecting James Foster Jr., 26, with a drug called rocuronium — which causes paralysis — instead of ketamine. According to local NBC affiliate KTIV, LaMere was among those who responded on Aug. 18, 2023, to a call for medical assistance and found Foster in distress.
First responders reportedly said that they couldn’t get Foster onto a cot to take him to a hospital because he wouldn’t calm down, KTIV reported, citing court records. That’s when LaMere, who was allegedly the paramedic in charge and the only person on scene qualified to administer medication, made the decision to administer a dose of ketamine to help Foster calm down.
However, according to authorities, LaMere drew up the wrong medication, and instead had injected Foster with rocuronium — an error she allegedly realized only after she went back to the ambulance to get Foster what she thought would be a second dose of ketamine.
Prosecutors said in their filing that rocuronium is only given in “extreme cases,” KTIV reported, and once its been given, the patient would normally have to be intubated within 30 seconds to a minute. However, because Foster received the drug via injection, there was a little more time before it took effect, the report said — but it apparently wasn’t enough to save his life.
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As Foster was being loaded into the ambulance, he allegedly said he couldn’t breathe, local news website Siouxland Proud reported. Shortly thereafter, he reportedly lost consciousness and went limp. Officials performed CPR on the way to the hospital and advised ER staff of the medication error once they arrived.
Foster died two days later, on Aug. 20, 2023. The medical examiner’s office said the cause of death was due to the administration of rocuronium, Siouxland Proud reported.
Prosecutors allege that LaMere knew not only what rocuronium would do, but also how to treat a patient after injection, but she didn’t take the appropriate steps.
“As a paramedic, the defendant is required to verify the medication before drawing it up and administering it,” the criminal complaint says, according to Siouxland Proud. “The defendant admitted she failed to do this … After the defendant realized she had administered the wrong medication, she did not take the appropriate steps to notify anyone or treat the patient any different.”
Online court records show that LaMere is charged with aggravated misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter. It was not immediately clear when she stopped working as a paramedic.
