A nurse at the Children's Clinical University Hospital, who mistakenly mixed up medications intended for a patient in November last year, resulting in the child's death, has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison. This decision was made by the Riga City Court on Monday, as reported by LETA. Additionally, the court prohibited the convicted nurse from engaging in medical practice for four years. At the same time, the court rejected the victims' claim for compensation for moral damages amounting to 500,000 euros. Judge Imants Dzenis explained that after reviewing case law, he concluded that it was premature to address the issue of compensation within the framework of the criminal process. The victims have been left the opportunity to file a corresponding claim in civil proceedings. The representative of the accused stated that the defense would request the full text of the verdict and assess the possibility of appealing it. According to her, there are legal grounds to believe that in this case, actual imprisonment should not have been imposed. After the full text of the decision is prepared, the parties will be able to appeal the verdict within ten working days. According to the court calendar, the accused is named Elena Ugurenko. She admitted her guilt and expressed remorse for her actions, her lawyer Aldis Liepiņš previously reported. According to the defense attorney, the incident was a tragic coincidence. He emphasized that no one becomes a nurse with the intention of making such a mistake. The lawyer also stated that his client is struggling daily with what happened, has apologized to the victims, acknowledged her guilt, and has begun to compensate for the damage caused, without specifying the amount. Furthermore, the defense pointed out issues related to the organization of work and storage of medications. In the lawyer's opinion, it is necessary to evaluate whether particularly dangerous drugs should be stored separately to reduce the risk of similar errors in the future. At the request of the participants in the process, the court considered the case in a closed session. Decisions in the case were announced publicly. As previously reported, the prosecutor's office charged the nurse with improper performance of professional duties, which negligently led to the death of a minor patient. According to the prosecution, at the end of November last year, during her shift, the nurse prepared a sodium bicarbonate solution prescribed by the doctor for administration to the patient the following day. However, by negligence, she prepared a potassium chloride solution instead and affixed a label reading "Sodium Bicarbonate" on the infusion bag. The next day, the girl was administered the incorrectly prepared solution. Soon, she experienced dizziness and difficulty breathing. Despite resuscitation efforts, the child could not be saved. According to the case materials, the administration of the potassium solution caused irreversible cardiac arrest, which led to the patient's death. Prior to the sentencing, a measure of restraint not related to imprisonment was in effect for the accused, as well as a prohibition on engaging in professional activities.
