In St. Petersburg, the chief doctor of the City Advisory-Diagnostic Center No. 1 (CDC), where three patients died after a stomach examination, was detained. According to the Investigative Committee of Russia (ICR), after the diagnosis in a clinic in St. Petersburg, more than 20 people were injured and three more died. Investigators have opened a criminal case under the articles of “causing death by negligence” and “providing services that do not meet the requirements for consumer safety and health”. According to the investigation, the head of the center has been using a “fake chemical preparation” for a long time.
The source of RIA Novosti says that the deceased and injured were found to be poisoned with barium. The name of the chief physician is not mentioned in the Investigative Committee’s message, but the medical center’s website reports that the clinic is headed by Evgeny Popov. On Friday, a notice appeared on the medical center’s Web site asking all patients who have undergone gastrography (an X-ray of the stomach) with barium sulfate and are experiencing discomfort to contact the facility immediately. In the press service of Roszdravnadzor it was announced yesterday that the decision has been made to suspend the use of a drug for stomach examination containing barium.
On Thursday, the chief physician of the St. Petersburg Medical Center, Evgeny Popov, said in an interview with “KP” that previously there were no problems with diagnostics in the center. We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what happens next. The number of offers should remain: episodes. End of story Podcast advertising
“We are shocked. This research has been going on since the center began operating. There have never been any complications. At the moment, the research has been temporarily suspended. The investigation is underway. The drug used has been sent for examination. The actions of the doctors are also being examined,” he said.
The widow of one of the deceased patients told the St. Petersburg publication “Fontanka” that on January 24, a few minutes before the procedure, he was given a glass of water with barium sulfate: the man immediately felt unwell, and it got worse and worse during the X-ray. “He came home around three in the afternoon, I don’t know how he got there. He was staggering, he immediately lay down and about an hour later he started vomiting… Then his condition got worse by the minute, so we called an ambulance,” she said. In the evening, the man was taken to the hospital and died during the night. According to the patient’s widow, he did not have any serious illnesses; he was examined for suspected gastritis.
Barium is used as a contrast agent for X-rays of the stomach: it allows the patient’s stomach and intestines to be seen more clearly in the images. Barium is not believed to be harmful to humans because it is not absorbed in the intestines and is easily eliminated from the body.