Doctor: Sedating a patient is like driving a motorhome

It's not a comparison we would have thought to make: Sedating a patient is like driving a motorhome. And what do you do when nature calls?

"You don’t get up, leave the wheel and to go to bathroom," said Dr. Steven Shafer in court today.

Dr. Conrad Murray told police that he gave Michael Jackson a small 25mg dose of the anesthetic propofol and stepped out of the room for a couple of minutes to relieve himself. But Dr. Shafer testified that there's no such thing as a little bit of anesthetic and safety guidelines must be followed every time drugs like propofol are administered.

"It's a slippery slope and every patient is different," said Dr. Shafer.

He also said the varying conditions of each patient creates a need for doctors to plan for the worst case scenario every time they prepare to sedate a patient.

Deputy District Attorney David Walgren walked Dr. Shafer through his review of Dr. Conrad Murray's treatment of Michael Jackson.

Dr. Shafer said he found several violations of the standard of care including:

- There was no emergency airway equipment in Jackson's bedroom. Dr. Shafer says this was an egregious violation because no competent physician would administer an anesthetic without the ability to clear an airway if needed.

- Dr. Murray did not use an infusion pump. Dr. Shafer says this increased the chance of an overdose because an infusion pump is the only way a doctor can precisely regulate dosing.

- The monitoring equipment Dr. Murray had was inadequate. Dr. Shafer says this would make it impossible for Dr. Murray to know if Jackson was in serious trouble.

- Dr. Murray did not have emergency drugs on hand. Dr. Shafer says these drugs could have helped resuscitate Jackson.

- Dr. Murray failed to take up to 80 days worth of records on Jackson's treatment. Dr. Shafer says this was an unconscionable deviation from the standard of care because Dr. Murray violated the rights of his patient. Dr. Shafer passionately told the court the patient and his family have a right to see what's being done to him.

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