UCLA Cardiologist Says Jackson Doctor Failed to Provide Crucial Information

LOS ANGELES – A UCLA hospital cardiologist summoned to the emergency room to treat a VIP patient testified at the Michael Jackson homicide trial Monday that the singer’s personal doctor failed to provide crucial information on when Jackson was stricken, when 911 was called and what drugs he had administered.

Thao Nguyen said defendant Conrad Murray told her he did not know key times, “from the time he found the patient was down to the time he made the 911 call. He said he did not have any concept of time. He did not have a watch.”

Murray, 58, a cardiologist, is charged with involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors say he recklessly gave Jackson a fatal dose of the powerful surgical anesthetic propofol to help him get some sleep. Murray’s lawyers say Jackson took the lethal dose while the doctor was away from the singer’s bedroom.

Nguyen said that when she asked Murray what had happened, he said Jackson had been dehydrated from strenuous rehearsals and he had given the singer lorazepam, a mild sedative. Murray never mentioned propofol, Nguyen said. Her testimony matched that of Richelle Cooper, the lead ER physician.

Nguyen related the efforts to revive Jackson from the time an ambulance brought him in at 1:13 p.m. to the time his death was declared at 2:26 p.m. She said she consulted another cardiologist about using a balloon pump as a last-ditch measure to restore heartbeat, but they doubted it would work.

Not knowing the time he had stopped breathing or when 911 was called, Nguyen said, “it seems like a case of too late.” The doctors decided “time was not on Mr. Jackson’s side.”

Nguyen said the emergency team tried the balloon pump anyhow, after Murray said he had detected a pulse in Jackson, a pulse that others in the room could not confirm.

The pump had no effect. Death was called.

Cross-examined about propofol use, Nguyen said she would never use the drug outside of a setting with a crash cart and other resuscitation equipment because an oversedation can result in respiratory and cardiovascular collapse.

In other testimony, representatives of AT&T and Sprint/Nextel authenticated company records of Murray’s cellphone calls on the day Jackson died.

Among them were five calls from the married Murray’s phone to Nicole Alvarez, the mother of one of his six children. The first was made while the doctor rode with Jackson in the ambulance. The others came after Jackson died.