A man identified as Nils H., a German nurse, has expressed regret for killing up to 30 patients by giving them an overdose of heart medication in order to “show off” his resuscitation skills.
The 38-year-old nurse admitted to the Oldenburg regional court that he brought about cardiac arrests to around 90 patients in his care, as he enjoyed the feeling of being able to resuscitate them.
According to H, whose full name has been withheld due to German privacy laws, he administered Gilurytmal, which is a medication that should only be used by doctors under strict supervision. It claimed the lives of up to 30 patients.
Even though at this stage H is only facing charges for three murders and two attempted murders, the state prosecutor reported that he could be involved in more than 150 deaths.
The prosecutors at the district court of Oldenburg said that H was “bored” and wanted to practice his “excellent” resuscitation skills. They also claim that in some cases if the first attempt at resuscitation was a success, H. would sometimes make a second attempt.
Alongside the German police, the state prosecutor is currently investigating the deaths of 174 patients who passed away during H’s shifts between 2003 and 2005 at a clinic in Delmenhorst, near Bremen.
Dozens of bodies will also need to be exhumed from Oldenburg and Wilhelmshaven, where H held previous positions as a nurse.
In the Delmenhorst clinic, during H’s shifts, the death rate nearly doubled and Gilurytmal was reportedly used by him a lot.
Even though a senior doctor spoke about the suspect, saying he was a “passionate medic,” Erich Joester, a lawyer for the clinic, expressed his views.
“I found it strange that he was always on hand when patients were being resuscitated, often helping younger doctors with intubation – inserting a breathing tube into a patient’s airways. No one wants to believe that a colleague would rather kill patients, instead of helping them.”
