A German nurse is facing trial for the deaths of patients he drugged with a lethal dose of heart medication so he could play the hero by resuscitating them, prosecutors said, according to the Daily Mail.
The defendant, identified only as Nils H., drugged 90 patients with the heart medication Gilurytmal which caused them to go into cardiac arrest, prosecutors said at his trial in Oldenburg regional court. He then quickly resuscitated them to show off his "excellent" skills.
The nurse admitted to killing 30 patients. But prosecutors believe his body count is well over 150, according to an ongoing investigation into the clinic he worked at in Delmenhorst from 2003 to 2005. H is only being tried for three murders and two attempted murders.
He reportedly expressed regret for the killings.
Witnesses at the clinic said H was mysteriously there to help whenever a patient was in danger.
"I found it strange that he was always on hand when patients were being resuscitated, often helping younger doctors with intubation - inserting a breathing tube into a patient's airways," and unnamed senior doctor said, according to the Daily Mail.
The heart medication H used is meant to be administered by doctors only, authorities said. Usage of the same medication increased during the nurse's time at the clinic, investigators found.
If he successfully resuscitated the patient, H would allegedly do it again. Patients who survived the attempt were left with an irregular heartbeat, lowered blood pressure and damaged heart muscles, the newspaper reported.
It's not clear why it took nearly 10 years for investigators to probe H's time at the clinic, much to the ire of grieving relatives who demanded answers.
But the defendant was previously sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison for the attempted murder of another patient in 2008, according to the Daily Mail.
Prosecutors are now seeking a life sentence for the nurse.
