10/13/2011 5:46 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF
People vs. Dr. Conrad Murray
Propofol Expert Testifies
Anesthesiologist -- Dr. Steven Shafer Testifies
Updated 10/19/11 at 9:10 AMAnesthesiologist Dr. Steven Shafer -- the prosecution's final witness -- will wrap up his testimony today from last week.
Dr. Shafer is a Propofol expert, and he's expected to testify that Murray was criminally negligent in the way he treated Michael Jackson.
* Thursday, Shafer told prosecutors he was hired 20 years ago by the company that produces Propofol to calibrate the correct dosing for the drug.
* Shafer said the exact dosage of Propofol is crucial -- because even a slight discrepancy could be the difference between a patient sleeping for a few minutes, and one sleeping for several hours.
* Shafer said patients ask him every day whether he's giving them "the drug that killed Michael Jackson."
* Shafer showed the court how Propofol is extracted out of the bottle with a syringe ... saying air needs to be drawn first to enable drug to enter the syringe. This could take a few minutes.
* Prosecutors are showing the jury a video on how to safely administer Propofol.
* Dr. Shafer said one of the most important things an anesthesiologist can do is to make sure the flow of oxygen is never interrupted.
* Shafer also said Infusion of drugs should be done ONLY through a pump to avoid overdosing.
* He told jurors "it takes time and care" to get the pump ready.
* Shafer says a doctor must get an "informed consent" from the patient ... insisting it's not just a piece of paper but a process in which the doctor informs the patient of all the risks, benefits and alternatives.
* He said a verbal consent is NOT binding.
* Before administering any Propofol, doctors do an "anesthesia pause" -- one last check to make sure everything is right.
* Shafer said the anesthesiologist must be close to the patient at all time.
* As part of their job, anesthesiologists should also be taking copious notes to make sure there's a record of everything that happens in the OR.
* If the monitors show an obstruction to the airway, Shafer said, all doctors need to do is lift the chin slightly. If that doesn't work, they can grab the patient's jaw and move it forward.
* If the patient is still not breathing, docs can force oxygen into the patients lungs with an ambu bag.
* Shafer then went through the 5 steps to keep patient alive:
- Assess patient
- Call for help
- Start chest compressions
- Ventilate lungs
- Start specific treatments
Judge Pastor just broke for lunch ... trial resumes at 1:30 PM.
http://www.tmz.com/2011/10/13/people-vs-dr-conrad-murray-anesthesiologist-testifies-michael-jackson-mj-trial-propofol-manslaughter-death/