A former resident anesthesiologist at the VA Hospital in West Los Angeles, who injected himself with sedatives and a powerful painkiller and then passed out in an operating room, is expected to be sentenced today on federal drug and theft charges.
Dr. Jason G. Hirsch pleaded guilty in April to misdemeanor counts of theft of public property and possession of a controlled substance, both dealing with the sedative ketamine, according to documents filed in Los Angeles federal court.
Hirsch faces up to three years in federal prison and a $200,000 fine when sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick Walsh.
According to his own statement of facts, Hirsch arrived at the VA facility early on Sept. 5, 2012, to prepare for two scheduled surgeries.
Feeling anxious about a presentation he was expected to deliver, Hirsch took several tablets of the sedative clonazepam, which he said he obtained from a family friend, according to the document.
He then went to the dispensary to obtain medications needed for the the first surgery, and checked out ketamine; midazolam, a depressant known by the trade name Versed; and fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opiate, the document states.
“In the operating room, at some point during the procedure, I put a tourniquet on my left forearm and injected myself with ketamine, midazolam (Versed) and fentanyl,” Hirsch said in the court filing. “I then lost consciousness and fell to the ground, striking my head. Hospital personnel found empty vials of fentanyl, midazolarn, ketamine and flumazenil in the operating room. They also found three unlabeled, uncapped syringes with medicine in them.”
Following a stipulated settlement, the California Medical Board recently placed Hirsch on five years’ probation with various terms and conditions, according to the agency.
