Case dismissed against doctor charged in patient’s death

Clark County prosecutors dismissed a case against a doctor charged with murder in connection with his prescriptions for a patient.

Dr. Richard Sy Teh was arrested in March because authorities thought Lisa Blythe’s death was related to his prescribing massive amounts of narcotics, including demerol, oxycontin and valium, from February 2001 to February 2006 to combat chronic pain.

The Clark County coroner’s office originally ruled Blythe, 39, died in January 2007 from multiple drug intoxication but later changed the cause of death to a respiratory infection known as sepsis caused by pneumonia, court documents showed.

A toxicology screening showed that the level of prescription drugs in Blythe’s system were very low at the time of her death and that she had been using several substances that Teh did not prescribe for her.

A lab report also showed Blythe tested positive for pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacteria, which, with a low white blood cell count, created a lethal combination, according to the memo.

Prosecutors said the evidence did not suggest the prescription medication caused those conditions and sought to have the case dismissed in September.

Furthermore, before Blythe’s death, Teh had diagnosed the patient with a respiratory infection and prescribed medication to treat it, but the prescription was never filled, court documents showed.

Teh’s attorney, Mace Yampolsky, said, “This was the right result. Dr. Teh was an innocent man.”

The Nevada Board of Medical Examiners has never formally charged Teh, according to its website. The physician remains a practicing internist for Sun City Medical Group in northwest Las Vegas, the board’s website showed.

Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@review journal.com or 702-380-1039.