Nurse’s Trial Begins in Dialysis Deaths

LUFKIN, Texas (AP) _ A 38-year-old East Texas nurse is facing a possible death sentence as she goes on trial for injecting patients with bleach — killing five and injuring five others — as they were undergoing dialysis treatment.

Kimberly Saenz was fired in April 2008 from her job at a DaVita Dialysis clinic in Lufkin, about 125 miles northeast of Houston, after two patients told officials they saw her inject two other patients with bleach.

By then, state health inspectors already were looking into why paramedics that month had to make so many trips to the clinic to help people with cardiac and breathing problems.

Saenz has pleaded not guilty. Her lawyer says she’s a scapegoat for problems at the clinic.

Her trial was scheduled to begin Monday, and is expected to take a month.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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