Japanese nurse arrested for killing patient by injecting feces into IV drip

A nurse at a Japanese hospital has been arrested on suspicion of killing a patient by injecting feces into an IV drip, in a case that has shocked the country.

Chiba Prefecture police arrested a woman in her 50s, identified only as suspect A, on Tuesday on charges of mixing fecal matter into a hospitalized patient's IV drip and causing his death, according to local media including the Yomiuri Shimbun.

The hospital issued a statement strongly condemning the incident and offered a deep apology to the patient and his family.

The victim was a 75-year-old man from Ibaraki Prefecture who had been admitted to a general hospital in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture. The suspect is believed to have injected fecal matter into the patient's IV drip at around 3:55 a.m. on Jan. 30. The victim had been communicating normally as recently as Jan. 30, but died at around 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 31.

A post-mortem examination determined the cause of death to be multiple organ failure resulting from pulmonary sepsis. A brown substance was found in the IV tubing, and testing detected bacteria originating from human fecal matter.

The hospital reported to police on Feb. 1 that "the patient's condition suddenly deteriorated and it appears a foreign substance was mixed into the IV drip." Police identified the suspect through CCTV footage and an on-site investigation.

Chiba Prefecture police said the suspect was a nurse at the hospital and had been the nurse on duty for the ward during the night shift on the day of the incident. She was dismissed following the incident and has reportedly denied the charges during questioning.