Overview
- A woman who suffered a cardiac arrest on April 7, 2009 testified that a post‑operation coma erased childhood and family memories, and she wants the culprit identified.
- Judges reviewed three unexplained 2009 intraoperative arrests at the Polyclinique de Franche-Comté, including a seized bag later reported to contain abnormally high potassium and massive doses of adrenaline.
- Investigators say the pattern, revisited after new 2017 incidents, points to possible upstream contamination of perfusion bags before surgery at two Besançon clinics.
- Defense counsel argued such tampering would have been visible because piercing a bag breaks its vacuum, and he questioned why staff absences cleared some workers but not the accused.
- Frédéric Péchier, 53, is on trial for 30 alleged poisonings, including 12 deaths, maintains his innocence, faces life imprisonment, and is expected to hear a verdict on December 19.