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The 2011 Stepping Hill Hospital poisoning incident refers to a series of deaths at the Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport, Greater Manchester, which began in July 2011. ==Background and investigation== The investigation was sparked by a nurse on a ward at the hospital, who noticed that several patients on the ward had unexpected low blood sugar levels. An investigation suggested that a number of saline ampoules and saline drips had been contaminated with insulin, and this was believed to have lowered the blood sugar levels in the patients. Insulin is often used as a treatment for diabetes, but for people without an insulin deficiency, an increase in insulin can be poisonous to the body. It was suspected that, due to the increased levels of insulin in the patients' bloodstreams, they became ill and the three confirmed fatalities occurred. A number of other patients are also believed by police to have been poisoned in this way, though most did not suffer fatal consequences. Two further deaths in the A1 and A3 wards were added to the investigation on 21 July.〔 Insulin is also used on non-diabetic patients for the control of blood sugars in critical care settings. Stress hyperglycaemia is common in acute illness and treatment with insulin can reduce the risk of organ damage.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Critical Care - Full text - Insulin: a wonder drug in the critically ill? )〕 Hypoglycaemia can occur in non-diabetics as a result of serious and critical illness, including heart, renal and liver failure as well as sepsis. Three patients' deaths – two elderly males, George Keep, 84 and Arnold Lancaster, 71, and a female – Tracey Arden, 44 – were attributed to the alleged contamination, however it was also reported that each of the patients also had underlying medical conditions that made them weaker. On 21 July 2011, it was confirmed that two more patients' deaths were being linked to the investigation, bringing the death count to five.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Stepping Hill Hospital: Nurse Rebecca Leighton Held For More Time After Five People Have Now Died | UK News | Sky )〕 Greater Manchester Police (GMP) announced that the inquiry into how saline solutions had been contaminated with insulin would form the basis of a murder inquiry. During the investigation, 60 detectives were involved in determining how and when the saline solutions were contaminated. Meanwhile, a number of armed police guards were stationed at the hospital, and staff were made to work in pairs when administering medication to patients. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「2011 Stepping Hill Hospital poisoning incident」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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