Wirtualna Polska: Podczas posiedzenia Sejmowej Komisji Zdrowia
prokurator nie wykluczył ekshumacji zmarłych pacjentów łódzkiego
pogotowia. Zastrzegł, że trzeba rozważyć, czy ekshumacje będą zasadne
ze względu na czas rozpadu leków w organizmie człowieka. Według
specjalistów, rozpad pavulonu, który - jak pisała Gazeta Wyborcza -
mógł służyć do uśmiercania pacjentów, następuje 48 godzin po podaniu.

Tacy ci specjalisci, jaka ta cala prokuratura.

Metoda analityczna Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory,
amerykanskiego rzadowego osrodka badawczego, znalazla pavulon w
zwlokach ekshumowanych w kilka lat po morderstwach popelnionych przy
uzyciu tego srodka. LLNL ma teraz caly konieczny sprzet i
specjalistow. Wystarczy poprosic o pomoc przez Ambasade RP w
Waszyngtonie.

http://www.llnl.gov/PAO/Newsstand/articles/2001/01-2
6-01-FSC.html

Internal Communications Department
Lawrence Livermore national Laboratory
January 26, 2001

FSC analysis may seal 'angel's' fate

By Sheri Byrd
Newsline staff writer

The re-arrest on Jan. 16 of Efren Saldivar, the self-proclaimed "Angel
of Death" and alleged killer of the terminally ill at a Glendale
hospital, could not have happened without the assistance of the Lab's
Forensic Science Center and its director Brian Andresen.

Special analyses by the center gave Glendale investigators the
evidence they could use to arrest Saldivar and charge him with the
murders of six patients.

Saldivar, a former respiratory therapist at Glendale Adventist Medical
Center, was first arrested in 1998 following an investigation based on
a tip from a fellow hospital worker. He confessed to killing between
100 and 200 patients that he deemed "ready to die," but later recanted
his confession, citing depression and a desire to receive the death
penalty.

In his original confession, Saldivar detailed his use of two
paralyzing drugs, Pavulon and succinylcholine chloride, injected into
the IVs of patients. Andresen recalls that Michael Peat, then
president of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS),
contacted him in early 1999.

"Peat was initially approached for support and he recommended the
Lab's Forensic Science Center to perform the toxicology analysis on
exhumed tissues," Andresen said. "Glendale police did not have the
capabilities to perform this type of toxicology work."

"Peat knew that the Lab had the right combination of highly sensitive
and sophisticated equipment and also the knowledge-base to handle
these types of unusual samples," said Andresen. "He knew me through
the AAFS, and in March 1999, I got my first outline of the case at the
Glendale Taskforce Headquarters."

Of the 171 deaths at Glendale Adventist that occurred on Saldivar's
shift in the last two years of his employment, the 20 "most
mysterious" cases were given to the Los Angeles County coroner's
office, which began exhuming the bodies during the last week of May
1999.

Andresen traveled to Los Angeles, where he assisted in the first four
autopsies. He prepared and demonstrated the proper sampling equipment
for the coroner's office personnel and showed them how the evidence
needed to be retrieved and preserved.

"Over the next 16 weeks, the remaining exhumations and sample
collections were done, and I received them here at the Lab," Andresen
said.

Because succinylcholine chloride breaks down very quickly into
chemicals normally found in human tissue, Andresen concentrated his
testing on Pavulon, a potent, synthetic muscle relaxant often
administered to patients on artificial respiration. This compound is
very powerful and is usually given at very low levels. It was
previously thought to dissipate quickly in the body.

"I was very surprised at first that I found anything," Andresen said.
"I went in to this with a totally open mind."

After six positive hits for Pavulon, he made his preliminary
presentation to the Los Angeles District Attorney's office in December
1999, after which all of his results were double-checked by their
outside sources.

On Jan. 5, Deputy District Attorney Al MacKenzie and the Glendale
Taskforce reviewed a final presentation at the Los Angeles Coroner's
Office that outlined all of the toxicology findings and outside
reviews.

"The district attorney felt it was time to act," said Andresen, "and
they went ahead with the arrest, based primarily on my Pavulon
findings in six patients out of the 20 exhumations."

MacKenzie commented that Andresen had invented "a new scientific
protocol, which I hope will be of use in future investigations."

Overall, reflected Andresen, "It was very exciting. I applied some of
the best tools and equipment for this type of work available at the
Lab. Our biological toxin analysis for other similar investigations
and nonproliferation activities are now all set up, should a similar
need arise."

(...)


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