72-year-old German hospital patient arrested for allegedly switching off roommates ventilator

A 72-year-old woman has been arrested after she allegedly switched off a hospital roommate’s ventilator – twice – because she was annoyed by the sound it made, authorities in Germany said Thursday.

The woman was jailed on suspicion of attempted manslaughter following the incident at a hospital in the southwestern city of Mannheim on Tuesday evening.

Police and prosecutors said in a statement that the suspect is alleged to have switched off a 79-year-old woman’s ventilator and, despite then being told by staff that it was vital for the patient, switched it off again later in the evening.

VENTILATOR SHORTAGE DURING CORONAVIRUS CRISIS FORCING DOCTORS TO DECIDE WHO LIVES OR DIES

The older patient had to be revived and, while her life is not in danger, still requires intensive care, authorities said.

Respirators in the intensive care unit of the University Hospital in Mannheim. A 72-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly switching off her roommate’s respirator in Mannheim.
(Uwe Anspach/picture alliance via Getty Images)

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The suspect was brought before a judge on Wednesday and taken to jail.