A Texas doctor has been sentenced to two years in prison for criminally negligent homicide in the death of a hospital patient.
A jury convicted Dr. Lydia Grotti Tuesday in the death of Lettie McGhee, a 64-year-old patient who suffered a heart attack at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Grotti admitted blocking McGhee's endotracheal tube for about a minute, but she said the patient was already dead. The doctor said she was only trying to stop McGhee's "agonal breathing," a reflex that accompanies death.
Keith Ward, one of the doctor's attorneys, said the jury's decision would have a chilling effect on Texas doctors.
"They now have to try to resuscitate a patient longer after medical science says you should stop," he told the News.
Prosecutor Rob Freyer said the jury sent a message that no one is above the law.
Grotti's medical license was revoked by the state last year.
© Copyright 2004 by United Press International
