Probe finds Sunrise not at fault for disrupted catheters
A state investigation found that Sunrise Children's Hospital, where an infant died after a catheter was severed, is not at fault for a series of disrupted catheter incidents in the hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Marla McDade-Williams, a deputy administrator with the Nevada State Health Division, said there was no negligence on the part of the facility.
"The systems they had in place complied with state and federal regulations," she said.
The July 22 death of 2-month-old Miowne Obote, who died from a lack of oxygen to the brain after an umbilical catheter was severed, was ruled a homicide last week by Clark County Coroner Mike Murphy.
The licenses of two nurses in the hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit -- Jessica May Rice and Sharon Ochoa-Reyes -- were suspended by the State Board of Nursing after a police investigation into 14 incidents of disrupted catheters at the hospital since February.
"We investigate facilities, not people," McDade-Williams said, though she emphasized that if her investigators found information that could be useful in the police probe, it would be shared. She declined to say whether that has been done.
Police haven't filed charges in connection with the baby's death.
Dan Davidson, a Sunrise spokesman, said hospital officials "are encouraged with the state's finding."
"We want to emphasize that we self-reported what we found after our investigation," he said.
Initially, Sunrise officials thought there might be technical problems with the catheters, but when none were found, they turned over the investigation to Las Vegas police.
An infant who had emergency surgery to survive a catheter disruption is now at home, according to hospital officials.
Officials have never said what harm, if any, was caused to infants in the dozen other cases.
Police have asked parents who believe their infants died mysteriously at Sunrise to call authorities.
On Tuesday, Luana Ritch, a bureau chief in the health division, said hospital officials made the neonatal unit safe for newborns through increased security, including surveillance cameras.
Contact reporter Paul Harasim at pharasim@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2908.
