Overview
- The Staatsanwaltschaft Frankfurt filed the indictment Wednesday, July 1, 2026, charging a 53‑year‑old caregiver with attempted murder, dangerous bodily harm and negligent endangerment.
- Prosecutors allege the woman removed pulse oximeters from three long‑term wake‑coma patients in four incidents between mid and late February 2025 to avoid optical or acoustic alarms during night shifts.
- A pulse oximeter measures blood oxygen saturation and pulse and emits visual and sound alarms when values fall outside limits, so removing one can hide respiratory decline and create an immediate life‑threatening gap in monitoring.
- The indictment says patients were left in critical states as a result, one was hospitalized, and in two cases the caregiver later recognized danger and took countermeasures; the accused has been in pretrial detention since January 20.
- The Landgericht Frankfurt must now decide whether to open main proceedings, a step that could prompt wider reviews of bedside monitoring rules and night‑shift protocols in long‑term care homes.