Nurse given probation in mistaken death
MADISON, Wis. --A nurse tearfully apologized Friday as she pleaded no contest to charges stemming from a drug mixup that led to the death of a 16-year-old patient giving birth.
Julie Thao, 42, pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors for obtaining and dispensing a prescription drug without a prescription. In exchange, prosecutors dropped a felony count of neglect of a patient causing great bodily harm, a charge that had sparked protests from medical groups when it was filed last month.
Dane County Judge Daniel Moeser accepted the plea agreement, which puts Thao on probation for three years. During that time, she cannot work as a critical care nurse in birthing and intensive care and several other specialties.
"There are no words to convey how profoundly sorry I am," Thao told a courtroom packed with supporters, as well as family members of Jasmine Gant. "This was my mistake. ... It should have been my life and not hers. The anguish and remorse are a life sentence that I will serve for all time."
State investigators say Thao, who worked at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison, ignored a number of safety measures before she mistakenly gave Jasmine Gant an epidural anesthetic instead of penicillin while she was giving birth on July 5. Gant had a seizure and died, but her baby boy survived.
The state Board of Nursing on Thursday suspended Thao's license for nine months and warned she would face greater scrutiny for two years if she returned to nursing.
Prosecutors agreed to drop the felony charge, which carries a term of up to six years in prison, after they were criticized by groups representing doctors, nurses and hospitals, who said unintentional medical errors should not be criminal offenses.
