The Sudden Death Of Michael Jackson (Second Edition)
The Coroner’s Report And Other Medical Facts
About The Causes Of Death
Andrew Dolan
Copyright © 2011, 2009 by Andrew Dolan
All rights reserved.
Second Edition. Smashwords Edition
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This book is for information purposes only and represents the opinions of the author. Nothing in this book should be considered a substitute for consulting with a qualified medical professional prior to taking action on any of the information in this book. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any damage allegedly arising from the application or use of any of the information contained in this book.
Diprivan® is a registered trademark of Abraxis Bioscience
Xylocaine® is registered trademark of Abraxis Bioscience
Ativan® is a registered trademark of American Home Products Corporation
Anexate® is a registered trademark of Hoffman-LaRoche
Versed® is a registered trademark of Hoffman-LaRoche
Valium® is a registered trademark of Hoffman-LaRoche
Xanax® is a registered trademark of Pharmacia & Upjohn
Demerol® is a registered trademark of Sanofi-Aventis U.S.
Narcan® is a registered trademark of Endo Pharmaceutical
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One
Michael Jackson And Propofol (Diprivan®)
The Cause Of Death
Chapter Two
Michael Jackson And Lorazepam (Ativan®)
The Contributory Factor To Death
Chapter Three
Michael Jackson And Midazolam (Versed®)
Chapter Four
Michael Jackson And Diazepam (Valium®)
Chapter Five
Michael Jackson And Lidocaine (Xylocaine®)
Chapter Six
Michael Jackson And Ephedrine
Chapter Seven
Michael Jackson And Flumazenil (Anexate®)
Chapter Eight
Michael Jackson And Alprazolam (Xanax®)
Chapter Nine
Michael Jackson And Meperidine (Demerol®)
Chapter Ten
Michael Jackson And Prednisone
Chapter Eleven
Michael Jackson And Alcoholism
Chapter Twelve
Michael Jackson And Lifestyle Problems
Chapter Thirteen
How Michael Jackson Could Have Avoided Death
Chapter Fourteen
Los Angeles County Department Of Coroner
Statement On The Death Of Michael Jackson
Chapter Fifteen
Search Warrant And Affidavit
State Of California, County Of Los Angeles
Chapter Sixteen
Los Angeles County Department Of Coroner
Coroner’s Report
Autopsy Report
Chapter Seventeen
Los Angeles County Department Of Coroner
Coroner’s Report
Anesthesiology Consultation
Chapter Eighteen
Los Angeles County Department Of Coroner
Coroner’s Report
Summary Of Positive Toxicological Findings
Chapter Nineteen
Epilogue: What Might Have Been
References
Chapter One
Michael Jackson And Propofol (Diprivan®)
The Cause Of Death
Exactly What Is Propofol (Diprivan®)
Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009. According to the coroner: “The cause of death is acute propofol intoxication. A contributory factor in the death is [the] benzodiazepine effect. Propofol produced “Acute Propofol Intoxication” while Lorazepam produced the “Benzodiazepine Effect.”
Propofol and Lorazepam were the two primary, or triggering, factors that were the direct causes of his death. The four other drugs that were also detected by the coroner were Midazolam, Diazepam, Lidocaine and Ephedrine. (Los Angeles County Department Of Coroner)
Michael Jackson abused drugs for years before his death. Michael Jackson’s home was searched in 2003 by the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department, and a substance that appeared to be Propofol was found there, six years before his death, along with several other drugs.
Propofol is also known as Diprivan®. It is a sedative and an anesthetic that has been in general use in hospitals since the 1980s. Propofol is administered intravenously, and works within less than a minute. It renders unconscious, meaning that it knocks out, any individual injected with a sufficiently large initial dose.
Propofol is a powerful anesthetic that can slow down, or stop, breathing in individuals who have been injected with it, an effect known as respiratory or pulmonary depression. Although anesthetics are generally thought of as ways to render patients unconscious during medical procedures, anesthetics are also used to relieve the anxiety that some patients experience regarding medical procedures. Anxiety-reducing drugs are known as anxiolytics.
Propofol is sold almost exclusively to institutions, primarily hospitals, because it generally cannot be used safely outside of institutional settings. Institutions that use Propofol absolutely must be able to hook up patients who get injected with anesthetic doses of Propofol to mechanical ventilation machines to force air into their lungs should they stop breathing while those patients under the influence of Propofol. Without mechanical ventilators, individuals injected with Propofol can die. The Los Angeles Department of Coroner’s anesthesiology consultation stated that: “There are NO reports of its [Propofol’s] use for insomnia relief.”
People who are injected with Propofol should ideally also be hooked up to oxygen tanks, electrocardiographs (EKG) to monitor their heart activity and pulse oximeters to monitor the oxygen in their bloodstream.
It is thus essential to always have trained health care personnel, including board-certified anesthesiologists, around wherever and whenever Propofol is given to a patient, because a fatality is always a possibility when Propofol is being used, particularly in cases where patients are being given other drugs. Propofol can interact with other drugs that also depress the normal functioning of the heart and/or the lungs in a cumulative manner that can sometimes turn out be fatal.
The Los Angeles Department of Coroner’s anesthesiology consultation stated: “Full patient monitoring is required any time propofol is given. The most essential monitor is a person trained in anesthesia and in resuscitation who is continuously present and not involved in the on-going surgical/ diagnostic procedure……Supplemental O2 must always be delivered to patients receiving propofol, and they should always have a recovery period with monitoring and observation by trained recovery nurses….. propofol should be given only by anesthesiologists or other supervised anesthesia providers, who are fully trained to recognize and treat the possible respiratory and cardiac depression.”