Poorly placed IV blamed for difficult execution
An IV didn’t properly penetrate a femoral vein to deliver execution drugs to Oklahoma inmate Clayton Lockett, according to a report ordered after the inmate kicked and grimaced during the lengthy procedure.
The report (PDF) by Oklahoma public safety commissioner Michael Thompson said executioners didn’t notice a bulge larger than a golf ball at the site of the injection in Lockett’s vein, indicating that the drugs were missing a vein and going into surrounding tissue. The bulge was hidden because a sheet had been placed over the injection site “to maintain Lockett’s dignity and keep his genital area covered,” the report said.
The New York Times, the Oklahoman and the Los Angeles Times are among the newspapers covering the report on Lockett’s April 29 execution. Because of the problems, Lockett’s execution was halted; he nonetheless died 43 minutes after the process began.
The paramedic who prepared the IV lines first tried to insert the needle into Lockett’s arms and then his feet, without success, the report said. An emergency room physician who took over tried to insert the needle on Lockett’s side, also failing, then tried the femoral artery. The physician asked for a larger needle, but none was available, so the best available needle was used.
The report recommended keeping the injection site visible and better training for contingencies.
At a press conference, Thompson said the new drug cocktail used in Lockett’s execution, including the drug midazolam, wasn’t a problem, according to the Los Angeles Times account.
“The drugs worked,” Thompson said. “At the end of the day … the drugs did what they were designed to do.”
