Anesthesiologist Dr. Steven Shafer talked about trial
Propofol might have revolutionized surgery — making recovery much easier to take — but Conrad Murray's administration of it to Michael Jackson was “jaw dropping,” according to the anesthesiologist who testified for the prosecution for several days and as a rebuttal witness, gainesville.com reported.
Fresh from the November trial, Dr. Steve Shafer, a professor of anesthesiology at Columbia University and propofol expert, was a visiting professor at the University of Florida College of Medicine this week to talk about his role in the trial and other topics with medical trainees.
“To see that drug administered in that setting suggested that Murray had no clue what he was doing,” Shafer said. “Michael Jackson could have requested intravenous maple syrup, but that doesn't excuse Murray giving it to him.”
Shafer, however, said he rejects the notion that his testimony served as the linchpin of the prosecution's case that prompted the jury to return the verdict after two days of deliberations.
“He was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for exactly the same reasons that were obvious 48 hours after Michael Jackson passed away,” he said.
Shafer said that propofol has improved patients' experience of surgery tremendously and, even though there is potential for abuse, he's against scheduling the drug as the federal government classifies drugs like cocaine, heroin, marijuana and powerful prescription painkillers.
That's because surgeons in the operating room need access to large amounts and quickly, which would become problematic if propofol was scheduled.
“In the recovery room, you used to see people throwing up,” he said. “Now you see them awake, comfortable and not miserable at all.”
The problem is that it also depresses the breathing reflex. he said.
He said that the trend that made Florida the center of trafficking for powerful prescription painkillers also has made many of his colleagues reluctant to prescribe them — even for people at the end of life, managing cancer pain or dealing with chronic pain.
“The long-term solution requires new biology — drugs that treat pain without opioids,” he said. “What makes opioids so good is that they block pain. And the part of the brain that deals with physical pain is the same part that deals with psychological pain.”
Regarding Michael Jackson, the Los Angeles Coroner determined that he did not have any drug addiction and the medicines found were those administered by Murray.