The Texas Medical Board has suspended the license of a local anesthesiologist, declaring him a “continuing threat to public welfare.”
On September 9, Dr. Raynaldo Ortiz Jr. was “temporarily suspended, without notice… effective immediately.”
The Medical Board explained that “on September 8, 2022, Board staff received information from federal law enforcement engaged in an ongoing investigation involving Dr. Ortiz.”
According to documents obtained from the Medical Board, Dr. Ortiz was seen on surveillance footage “depositing single IV bags into the warmer in the hall outside the operating rooms.” Shortly after doing so, “a patient would suffer a serious complication.”
When the IV bags were examined, “tiny holes in the plastic wrap around the bags” were discovered. The IV bags “contained bupivacaine but were not labeled as such.”
Another anesthesiologist at the Baylor Scott & White facility, Dr. Melanie Kaspar, recently died after self-administering one of the tampered IV bags. This incident, in conjunction with other medical emergencies at the surgery center, led them to close while an investigation took place, as reported by The Dallas Express.
The Medical Board explained that on “September 2, 2022, through social media posts and news media reporting, Board staff learned of the death of [Dr. Kaspar], Respondent’s fellow physician, which occurred under questionable circumstances.”
On September 2, The Dallas Express broke the news that Dr. Ortiz was connected with Baylor Scott & White Surgicare in North Dallas and that an investigation was being conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Dallas Police Department.
Then, on September 8, federal law enforcement approached the board with information from the investigation. “The information provided,” the board noted, “substantiated much of the information reported in the news media.”
Based on these findings, the disciplinary panel of the Texas Medical Board moved to temporarily suspend Ortiz’s Texas medical license, stating that “his continuation in the practice of medicine poses a continuing threat to public welfare.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Dr. Ortiz has an extensive history of domestic abuse and was previously convicted of animal cruelty. Nevertheless, when the Medical Board reviewed Dr. Ortiz last month in August, they determined that he had “rehabilitative potential and present value to the community.”
This story is developing, and The Dallas Express will continue to report on it as updates become available.