Dr Wes Ely comments on the acquittal of Dr William Husel in the overdose deaths of 14 patients.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Dr Wes Ely will be featured in an EPC zoom meeting on May 9 at 4 pm (EST). Dr Ely will speak about the Husel case and the proper use of opioids (Registration Link) 

Dr Wes Ely

Recently a jury found Dr. William Husel NOT Guilty on All 14 Counts of Murder, we learn that, after deliberating for five days, the jury found former physician William Husel not guilty of murder after overdosing patients with fentanyl and benzodiazepines. Husel claimed he was providing "comfort care" even though the doses of drugs were determined to be lethal, the defense claimed that he did not have "intent" to kill.

Charlie Camosy interviewed Dr. Wes Ely who was an expert witness in the Husel trial, a professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the associate director of aging research for the Tennessee Valley Veteran’s Affairs Geriatric Research Education Clinical Center. 

The following comments by Dr Ely create significant concern about the jury's decision in the Husel trial. Dr Ely responded to Camosy about the verdict by stating:

I want to trust the justice system and I want to know that in the United States, that a jury of our peers can make good and well informed decisions that we can live by and achieve justice in our society.

On the other hand, this is a physician who we absolutely know gave upwards of one to 3,000 micrograms of fentanyl to 14 people, actually 25 people, but only 14 were taken to trial.

That amount of medication completely stops the brain from sending signals to breathe so that we would stop breathing at all if we get that amount of a narcotic opioid. In addition to that, with high doses of fentanyl like that in the operating room, we see very tight chest wall muscles so that we physically can’t breathe, even if you want to.

Camosy then asks Dr Ely - did these overdoses kill.

I think that these doses did kill these people. They were very critically ill people, and, yes, they were dying, but we are all dying over time. The patients weren’t going to die in 12 minutes, which was the average time to death after the drugs were injected.

At the end of the day, these actions taken by Dr. Husel, and I testified very clearly on this, did shorten these people’s lives, I think, without any degree of uncertainty.

And so I have mixed emotions because my gut and instinct as a physician and as a person goes against the decision that was made by the jury. However, I will accept the decision, while at the same time hoping for some reforms to prevent this from happening again.

In his conclusion Dr Ely states:

The case of William Husel is a breach of our understanding of truth, in that I think Dr. Husel was giving lethal doses of medications in the name of palliative care. And when he was not found guilty by a jury of his peers, the worry that I have is that it will give other people license to go about giving these sorts of euthanasia style doses to other human beings, even when the patients haven’t asked for it. 

Dr Wes Ely will be featured in a EPC zoom meeting on May 9 at 4 pm (EST). Dr Ely will speak about the Husel case and the proper use of opioids (Registration Link) 

Humpty Dumpty’s Language Lesson. Dr Husel found not guilty in 14 counts of murder.

The following article was published by the Healthcare Advocacy and Leadership Organization (HALO).

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that is all.”      (Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland)

Words matter. In the article Jury Finds Dr. William Husel NOT Guilty on All 14 Counts of Murder, we learn that, after deliberating for five days, the jury found former physician William Husel not guilty on charges of overdosing patients with fentanyl and benzodiazepines because he was purportedly providing "comfort care". Even though the doses of these drugs were determined to be lethal, the defense had claimed he did not have "intent" to kill.

“And, so it goes… patients having their already fragile lives shortened with blatantly high doses of controlled substances beyond the standards of practice, while the professionals who order and administer these doses hide behind this concept of “comfort care”. We know it goes on in hospices around the country. And this verdict welcomes more of it,” stated HALO advisor Cristen Krebs, DNP, ANP-BC.

The words we use — and how we use them — make a difference. Calling murder “comfort care” makes evil appear good. Humpty Dumpty-style language manipulation is an effective strategy for marketing the culture of death. 

WARNING: In 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered that its “strongest warnings” be added to labels on opioid pain medications and benzodiazepines after finding that the growing use of opioid medicines combined with benzodiazepines or other drugs that depress the central nervous system has resulted in serious side effects, including slowed or difficult breathing, and deaths. FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA warns about serious risks and death when combining opioid pain or cough medicines with benzodiazepines; requires its strongest warning | FDA

Also, be wary of combinations of drugs such as morphine, fentanyl, Ativan, and Haldol, as well as the administration of opioids when they are not necessary for pain relief or the amount and/or frequency seems excessive. Be suspicious of any medication, especially an opioid or benzodiazepine (primarily used to treat anxiety), given every hour or two.

To help you navigate this difficult issue, please read HALO’s fact sheet 6-HALO-Drugs-Commonly-Used-in-Hospice-and-Palliative-Care.pdf (halovoice.org)