California Transplant Surgeon Charged with Felony Dependent Adult Abuse

By Sarah Harper

Published on March 31, 2008

Dr. Hootan Roozrokh is accused of hastening the death of Ruben Navarro, 26, in February 2006 in order to harvest his organs. Navarro, who had a debilitating neurological disease, was admitted to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in a coma after suffering a heart attack. His mother had authorized the doctors to harvest his organs. However, since Navarro was not brain dead, Dr. Roozrokh performed a transplant procedure called “Donation after Cardiac Death” (DCD), which involves removing a patient from life support prior to harvesting his or her organs.

In his decision, Superior Court Judge Martin J. Tangeman described a chaotic scene in the hospital room where Navarro died. The ruling noted the inexperience of Roozrokh, who had completed his transplant fellowship just one year before the time of the incident, and the fact that the operating team failed to record Navarro’s vital signs. Moreover, when Navarro arrived at the medical center, there was no attending physician present to order medications for comfort care or life support withdrawal, Tangeman said.

A March 19 court ruling determined that Dr. Roozrokh did not participate in any decisions related to the DCD. Due to a lack of written records, Superior Court Judge Martin J. Tangeman dismissed charges involving unlawful controlled substance prescription.

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