CONCORD, New Hampshire (AP) A former traveling hospital technician who has pleaded guilty to infecting patients with hepatitis C faces a sentencing hearing Monday under an agreement that calls for him to spend 30 to 40 years in prison.
David Kwiatkowski has admitted stealing painkiller syringes from hospitals where he worked and replacing them with saline-filled syringes tainted with his blood. He pleaded guilty in August to 16 federal drug charges.
Before he was hired by New Hampshire's Exeter Hospital in 2011, Kwiatkowski worked as a cardiac technologist in 18 hospitals in seven states, moving from job to job despite being fired at least four times over allegations of drug use and theft. Since his arrest last year, 46 people in four states have been diagnosed with the same strain of hepatitis C he carries, including six patients in Kansas.
Two of the 16 charges Kwiatkowski faces stem from the case of a Kansas patient who has since died. Authorities say hepatitis C, a blood-borne virus that can cause liver disease and chronic health problems, played a contributing role.
One of the Kansas patients, 71-year-old Linda Ficken, said she had traveled to New Hampshire to speak at Monday's sentencing hearing. She said she isn't nervous about confronting Kwiatkowski, but is a bit worried about losing her temper.