Patient Dies After Ventilator Is Shut Off

A 66-year-old Rancho Cucamonga woman died Wednesday at an Upland hospital, a day after a visitor to her room turned off her ventilator, police said.

The visitor, Mary Trujillo, 46, of Ontario was arrested at her home at 3:30 a.m. Tuesday and booked into West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on suspicion of attempted murder.

Trujillo remained in custody on $500,000 bail Wednesday and was expected to be arraigned today, authorities said.

An autopsy of Cipriana Santibanez is expected by Friday, officials said.

It would be premature to connect the death to the ventilator incident, Upland Police Det. Cliff Mathews said.

“We’re not amending the charges at this point to say she’s responsible for the death,” Sgt. Ken Bonson said.

After Trujillo, a family friend, left Santibanez’s room early Tuesday, nurses found the ventilator turned off and Santibanez breathing with difficulty, Bonson said.

The ventilator was off for about 30 seconds, police said.

“The air volume [on the ventilator] was turned all the way down,” Mathews said. “And so was the audible alarm that alerts staff the machine isn’t pumping the right amount of air.”

Santibanez died about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, San Antonio Community Hospital spokesman Jim Anderson said.

Santibanez was suffering from brain cancer and pneumonia when she was admitted to the hospital, according to the coroner’s office.

Trujillo entered the room early Tuesday morning after telling nurses she was Santibanez’s sister, Anderson said.

Hospital policy for the coronary care unit allows late-night visits by immediate family members only. Non-family visitors are not allowed unless patient or immediate family member approves, he said.