Medical personnel on Wednesday testified they never expected a brain-damaging neurological event leading to death to occur in one of the four patients a former East Texas nurse is accused of killing.
William George Davis, 37, of Hallsville, is accused of introducing air into patients’ arterial systems while he was a nurse at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital in Tyler, causing their deaths, according to 2018 and 2021 indictments.
He is charged with capital murder of multiple people in connection with the deaths of John Lafferty, Ronald Clark, Christopher Greenaway and Joseph Kalina. His trial began this past week. Testimony Wednesday morning centered largely on Clark.
Anesthesiologist Rigoberto Ramirez said he reviewed Clark’s status ahead of the patient receiving anesthesia for surgery in July 2017. Ramirez reviewed documents in which he wrote Clark was a smoker but that his heart was performing well. He said the purpose of looking at Clark’s health was to get an idea of how risky the procedure would be for him.
Ramirez told the jury he wouldn’t have expected Clark to have an unexplained neurological event after his surgery.
Clark was recovering from surgery on July 26, 2017, when air inside the arterial system of his brain caused damage and his body shut down. A few days later, he died.
Ramirez said physicians should check the arterial line before using it and take precautions to make sure there is no air or liquid in the device.
Dr. Joseph Kurian, a Christus anesthesiologist, testified Clark was ruled neurologically intact, doing well and was cleared for discharge following his surgery.
To determine if Clark was neurologically intact, Kurian said he typically asks patients to move their feet, say their name and answer questions about who they are.
Also testifying was a former Christus registered nurse, who worked the day shift at the cardiovascular ICU when Clark underwent surgery and was in recovery. She used documents and notes she made to refresh her memory while on the witness stand.
According to her notes, Clark rated his pain just a two out of 10 after his surgery, and he was speaking clearly without slurred speech.
Based on the documentation and notes, the nurse said she had no concern for Clark’s recovery, and she didn’t expect Clark to have a neurological event.
Cody Henson, a former registered nurse at Christus, said he treated Clark while he was recovering in the cardiovascular ICU in 2017. Henson said that about midnight he noticed Clark’s alarmingly low heart rate on the monitor. He recalled checking Clark for a pulse and giving him a breathing device.
Henson was also asked about Pamela Henderson, a patient who Davis is accused of harming by injecting air into her brain.
Davis is also charged with aggravated assault from accusations of causing injuries to Gary Parker, James Wages, Rickie Glenn and Henderson, other patients at the hospital who were at times in Davis’ care, according to indictments.
Henson testified he took care of Henderson the night of her surgery and the following night in November 2017 before any of her complications emerged.
Henson said Henderson was sitting in a chair a day after surgery and continuing to recover. With the exception of the neurological event that happened later, Henderson was having a routine recovery.
Dr. Chandra S. Reddy-Navuluri, a former hospitalist at Christus, testified about notes he took regarding Clark’s brain damage and death. He noted brain death as one of the causes of death.
A hospitalist is a doctor who provides care for patients at a hospital.
Teresa Meeks, clinical director for the Christus Cardiovascular ICU, said Davis was working the nights when Henderson and another alleged victim had significant neurological events.
Using a map of the hospital hallway, Meeks testified Davis was not the assigned nurse for Henderson, the other alleged victim, Kalina, Greenaway, Clark and Lafferty. But Davis was working and assigned to nearby rooms each night.
Davis has been in the Smith County Jail since his April 2018 arrest on bonds totaling $8.75 million.
The trial continues Thursday morning.