New York Supreme Court rules in case of doctor’s overdose death
The New York Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit against New York Presbyterian Hospital filed by the estate of one of its doctors who committed suicide using propofol. The 2011 suicide came less than a year after the anesthesiology resident finished a hospital-affiliated rehabilitation program for addiction to the substance. After completing the 6-week program, she was allowed to return to work, and eventually to duty in the operating room, where she had “easy access” to the drug. Two months later, she announced that she was going to be resigning. The next day, she killed herself with a propofol overdose.