The DD Isabelle Desormeau, this anesthesiologist involved in an investigation for “euthanasia” at the Cité-de-la-Santé in Laval, was arrested in the last few days by the police. She will now face a manslaughter charge.
This was confirmed on Tuesday by the Laval Police Department (SPL), in a brief press release, indicating that its investigators from the Crimes against the person squad have arrested Mr.me Desormeau last Thursday.
The main interested party is at the heart of a case, revealed by The Press in July 2021, at the Cité-de-la-Santé in Laval, where several upset staff members described the death of an 84-year-old man in a divisive operating theater as “euthanasia” in 2019. The shock was such that a manager of the establishment alerted the police, who opened a murder investigation.
In its statement issued on Tuesday, the Laval police indicate that it is “in the light of the results of this investigation” that an arrest warrant was authorized by the Director of Penal and Criminal Prosecutions (DPCP).
52-year-old anesthesiologist Isabelle Desormeau was charged with manslaughter shortly after her arrest. The authorities specify, however, that the accused was released “with conditions to be respected”. She is expected to be back in court on April 21.
On the night of 1er november
On October 31, 2019, an octogenarian first went to the Cité-de-la-Santé hospital in Laval for stomach aches. He was diagnosed with “intestinal obstruction requiring surgery”.
The man consents to the “Objective B” level of care, which is to “prolong life with limited care”. He says he does not want “there to be cardiopulmonary resuscitation or emergency intubation”. The operation began around 2 a.m. on the night of 1er november.
During the operation, which lasts about two hours, the surgeon discovers “necrosis on large segments of his small intestine”. “Considering the extent of the surgical discoveries and the wishes expressed by the patient”, he joins the family of this one. On the phone, the doctor explains to the patient’s niece that “continuing the operation would require the patient to have a bag” and that he be hospitalized for an extended period. It was then decided to “conclude the operation and offer palliative treatment”.
Once back in the operating room, the surgeon “closes the patient’s abdominal wall” and confirms to his anesthetist colleague, Dr.D Desormeau, “that there is no expected survival of the patient”.
It was then that a debate arose between Mr.me Desormeau and nurses. The first calls into question “the usefulness of finding a room for the patient when he could be taken directly to the morgue”, repeating that the man “has no one to accompany him” in palliative care. A nurse, however, retorts that the patient has a daughter, and that it is “false to claim that he has no family”. Despite everything, the anesthesiologist chose to give the patient an injection and to disconnect him from the ventilator around 4:45 a.m.
At the time of the injection, the nurse claims to have “said a few times that this is not the procedure to follow and that the patient must be returned to the floor to die there with dignity”. The man’s asystole, i.e. the cessation of his heartbeat, was noted around 5:04 a.m.
A paralyzed investigation
The investigation into this case has been paralyzed due to a legal tussle. In recent years, M.me Desormeau, who has not practiced since the events, has indeed multiplied the legal requests for his identity to be protected, saying he is worried about the “harm” that the reverse could cause him.
In December 2021, she went to the Supreme Court, where her request to appeal a judgment of the Superior Court was rejected. A few days later, Superior Court Judge Hélène Di Salvo finally lifted the publication ban on Dr.D Desormeau. The two doctors considered “witnesses”, the Dr Hubert Veilleux and the Dr Joseph Dahine, have also been identified.
A privilege had also been claimed by the anesthetist and the trustee of the College of Physicians, so that the police could not consult the disciplinary file, even if it obtained a search warrant.
Anyone who holds relevant information related to the DD Desormeau or this event is invited to contact the SPL Info-Police Line, by dialing 450 662-INFO (4636), or 911 by mentioning the file number LVL-191 109-024.