WATCH: Surveillance footage shows Texas doctor Raynaldo Ortiz working with IV bags before causing alleged death of colleague

On Wednesday, September 14, 2022, Texas doctor Raynaldo Ortiz was arrested for allegedly tampering with IV bags and causing the death of a colleague. Although the charges leveled against him have not been made public yet, the Dallas Police Department confirmed that he is facing federal charges.

Dr Ortiz was accused of poisoning IV bags by injecting nerve blocking and bronchodilation drugs into them and has been detained till his trial. Taking into consideration his violent history, U.S. Magistrate David Horan decided that the anesthesiologist posed a threat to the community and, moreover, was a flight risk, hence his detainment.

Regarding the North Dallas anesthesiologist, Assistant U.S. Attorney John de la Garza said:

"Dr. Ortiz is a medical terrorist. A physician sworn to do no harm was planting poison bombs."

The adulterated IV bags have been linked to at least one death and ten cardiovascular emergencies. In a surveillance video played by prosecutors at Ortiz's detention hearing, Raynaldo Ortiz could be seen placing the bags in a warmer outside the operating rooms at North Dallas's Baylor Scott & White Surgicare while looking around suspiciously. Ortiz's suspension order states:

"When he deposited an IV bag in the warmer, shortly thereafter a patient would suffer a serious complication."

According to NBC, a criminal agent with the Food and Drug Administration testified that technicians usually handle IV bags, and so for a doctor to put the bags in a warmer was deemed to be very unusual. His license has been suspended by the Texas Medical Board.

Raynaldo Ortiz's attorney, federal public defender Laura Harper, said that although Ortiz had strong ties to the community, he could no longer practice medicine due to his license suspension. The attorney further suggested that Ortiz's daughter would notify authorities if he violated any of the conditions of his release.

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Raynaldo Ortiz linked to the death of anesthesiologist Melanie Kaspar

Melanie Kaspar, an anesthesiologist at Baylor Scott & White Surgicare, brought home from work an IV bag for her dehydration. Minutes after hooking herself to it, she suffered a massive cardiac arrest and passed away. Her autopsy report confirmed that her death was caused by the presence of bupivacaine, a numbing drug used to alleviate pain during surgery. The bags that Raynaldo Ortiz tampered with all contained visible tiny holes and bupivacaine.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices in Canada said, according to The New York Post, that the drug bupivacaine was only meant to be injected into the spinal cord. It can cause "severe cardio- and neurotoxicity” and death when injected into the veins, which Kaspar and the other patients did via the IV (Intravenous) bags. While the other patients survived, the 55-year-old anesthesiologist, who worked with Ortiz, could not be saved.

In a press release, the Texas Medical Board said:

"On September 9, 2022, a disciplinary panel of the Texas Medical Board (Board) temporarily suspended, without notice, the Texas medical license of Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz, Jr., M.D. (Lic. No. H9000), after determining his continuation in the practice of medicine poses a continuing threat to public welfare."

It further stated,

"The suspension was effective immediately...an ongoing investigation involving Dr. Ortiz, relating to serious cardiac complications and one patient’s death connected with Dr. Ortiz’ presence at the Baylor Scott & White Surgicare North Dallas facility from May through September 2022."

Dr. Raynaldo Ortiz has a criminal history of medical negligence, assault against women, and violence, including shooting a neighbor's dog in the chest.