CHIBA (TR) – Chiba Prefectural Police have arrested a 51-year-old former nurse after she allegedly injected human feces into the intravenous (IV) drip of an elderly patient at a hospital in Kashiwa City, resulting in his death, reports the Asahi Shimbun (July 15).
Miyuki Furukawa, a resident of Kashiwa, faces allegations of murder. During questioning, she denied the allegations. She said, “I deny mixing feces into the tube.”
The disturbing incident took place at around 4:00 a.m. on January 30 at Kashiwa Tanaka Hospital. Furukawa is accused of introducing the feces into the IV extension tube of Eiji Aida, a 75-year-old man from Toride City, Ibaraki Prefecture.
The patient died the following night at approximately 10:30 p.m. A subsequent autopsy revealed the cause of death to be multiple organ failure brought on by sepsis.
“Foreign substance”
According to police, Furukawa was working the night shift at the time of the incident. She was acting as the head nurse in charge of the victim’s floor, working alongside one associate nurse.
The crime came to light on February 1, the day after the victim’s death, when a hospital staff member visited the Kashiwa Police Station to report the anomaly. “A patient whose condition suddenly deteriorated has died. There is a possibility that a foreign substance was mixed into his IV drip,” the representative told police.
Hospital staff had noticed a discolored brown substance inside the tubing. Following an analysis of the IV equipment and an examination of the scene, investigators concluded the substance was highly likely to be human feces.
Up until the day before his condition rapidly declined, the elderly man was fully capable of conversing normally, police said. Investigators ultimately identified Furukawa as the suspect by analyzing security camera footage and evaluating the circumstances on the ward.
Furukawa quietly resigned from the hospital at the end of February.
“Unforgivable act”
Following the arrest, the hospital’s operating corporation released a statement condemning the former employee’s actions.
“This is an absolutely unforgivable act as a medical professional and as a human being. We strongly condemn it,” the hospital stated on its website. “We are deeply regretful that such a situation occurred despite our maintenance of a standard medical care system, and we offer our deepest apologies to everyone hurt by this incident.”
One hospital worker, who learned of the arrest while leaving work, expressed disbelief to reporters. “I thought this wasn’t the kind of place where something like that could happen. I am in shock.”
