MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — A nurse at Abbott Northwestern Hospital was arrested after she allegedly stole 350 micrograms of fentanyl reserved for a patient who was going into surgery for kidney stones. The patient, who only received 150 micrograms of the drug instead of 500, experienced excruciating pain during the procedure and had to be held down by hospital staff.
Sarah May Casareto allegedly injected herself with the stolen fentanyl and then told the patient to go to his “happy place” and to “man up,” the Star Tribune reports. Staff present at the surgery told police that Casareto appeared intoxicated and fell asleep during the medical procedure.
The patient notified police after the incident, but it is unclear whether the hospital contacted authorities. Hospital officials also declined to comment on why the surgery went forward even though the patient was in pain.
Casareto was charged in Hennepin County District Court with theft of a controlled substance. Her lawyer, Max Keller, released a statement on Feb. 11 claiming that Casareto is being used by the hospital as a scapegoat, Pioneer Press reports. According to Keller, Casareto was lethargic in the operating room because she had been forced to return to work too soon after an illness.
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