Thursday 8 February 2007

Preparation of the killing of Angel Diaz

Preparation of the inmate:

After reading of the execution warrant, and at the appropriate time as detailed in the Lethal Injection Procedure, the inmate was placed on the gurney and restraints were applied.

Heart monitor leads were applied to the inmate and the monitors were checked to ensure that they were operational.

At that point, an execution team member inserted intravenous (IV) lines into both arms of the inmate.

The left arm IV line was completed on the first try, although it was noted that it took some effort to thread the catheter into the vein, due to resistance or “dragging.”

When the right arm IV line was initially attempted, insertion was successful but the catheter would not thread into the vein.

Therefore, the execution team member reattempted another site further up the arm.

The catheter again met with resistance but at least one-half to three quarters of the catheter threaded into the vein.

A check of the IV solution drip and the presence of a flash of blood evidenced, to the satisfaction of two execution team members, that venous access had been satisfactorily completed in both arms.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

"When the right arm IV line was initially attempted, insertion was successful but the catheter would not thread into the vein."

...if by 'successful insertion of IV line' we mean 'the needle going straight through the vein causing the lethal drugs to leave foot-long chemical burns on both arms,' it was very "successful" indeed.

*Shudder*