China doctor kills insomniac girlfriend by injecting anesthetics 20 times in six hours

BEIJING (SCMP): A Chinese doctor has been condemned online after he tried to treat his girlfriend’s insomnia by administering anaesthesia more than 20 times in six hours, a move which tragically resulted in her death.

The medic, identified only by the surname Qu, is an anesthesiologist at an unnamed hospital in Jiajiang county, Leshan, Sichuan province, in southwestern China.

He met the victim, surnamed Chen, a pharmaceutical sales representative, through an online dating platform in the summer of 2022, according to Cover News.

Details about Qu’s medical qualifications and practical experience have not been disclosed.

After the couple established their relationship, Chen frequently asked Qu to administer propofol, a major anaesthesia, to her in hotels to help alleviate her insomnia, from September 2023 to March 2024, when the tragedy occurred.

On March 6, Qu gave nearly 1,300 mg of propofol in over 20 doses through Chen’s ankle over six hours from 11 pm to 5 am the following day.

He also left an additional 100 mg of propofol for Chen to use on her own when he left the hotel in the morning. He discovered Chen had died upon his return.

A medical examination confirmed that the cause of her death was acute propofol intoxication.

Qu promptly reported the incident to the police, confessed to his actions, and later compensated Chen’s relatives with 400,000 yuan (US$55,000), securing their forgiveness.

An anonymous employee from a leading international propofol manufacturer in Shanghai told The Post that propofol is not intended to treat insomnia and that the dosages used in this case far exceeded safe limits.

“Propofol is a short-acting general anaesthetic used primarily for inducing and maintaining general anaesthesia and sedation. Typically, clinical doses for anaesthesia induction are 1.5-2.5 mg per kilogram of body weight.

“For maintenance of anaesthesia, the doses usually range from 4-12 mg per kilogram, while sedation doses vary from 1.5-4.5 mg per kilogram, adjusted according to the procedure and patient’s age,” the employee explained.

She added:”An injection dose of 1,300 mg is significantly higher than standard treatment protocols. Fatalities from excessive use of anaesthetics like this are not uncommon. Besides, drug abuse, apart from safety issues, can lead to addiction.”

On November 1, the People’s Court of Renshou county in Sichuan province sentenced Qu to two and a half years in prison for negligent homicide.

The court acknowledged that Qu’s self-surrender, confession, compensation to the victim’s family, and their subsequent forgiveness contributed to the leniency of his sentence.

However, the lenient penalty has been condemned online.

One online observer said: “An anesthesiologist does not know the proper dosage for anaesthetic drugs? Is this negligence? Is this not murder?”

While another added: “More than 20 injections in six hours. How did he manage to get so much anaesthetic out of the hospital? Should the hospital not also be held responsible?”

A third person asked: “Negligent homicide plus a confession and compensation equals only 2.5 years?”