Niels Högel and the Horrifying “Resuscitation Rambo” Case | The ER Edit Ep. 28

Niels Högel was an ICU nurse who became known for jumping into cardiac arrests and resuscitations. The problem was that investigators ultimately found he had deliberately created medical emergencies himself, giving patients medications capable of causing dangerous arrhythmias, circulatory collapse, and cardiac arrest before attempting to save them. In 2019, Högel was convicted of murdering 85 patients. We break down how the pattern developed, why coworkers started noticing something was wrong, the staggering mortality numbers surrounding his shifts, and how another nurse finally caught him administering an unauthorized medication. What makes this healthcare true crime case especially disturbing to us as nurses is how easily the warning signs could disappear inside an ICU. Critically ill patients deteriorate. Codes happen. Nurses cannot investigate every coworker who gives them a strange feeling. We get into the hospitals' response, the questions surrounding management and patient safety systems, what responsibility coworkers realistically had, and Högel's reported need for recognition through resuscitation. Then, naturally, we spiral into the psychology of serial killers and how someone capable of doing this can still show up, take an assignment, care for other patients, and look like another nurse on the unit. LISTEN, WATCH, FOLLOW, AND SEND US YOUR STORIES https://theeredit.com Find The ER Edit episodes, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, The Whisper Line, host links, and business contact in one place. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Ab8DoF... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... YouTube:    / @theeredit   Instagram: @theERedit_ TikTok: @theERedit Business inquiries: theeredit@gmail.com The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of Caitlin Armstrong and Karlie Tooley and do not represent the views, policies, or positions of their current or former employers, hospitals, healthcare organizations, or any affiliated institutions. This podcast is for entertainment and general discussion purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. 00:00 A Nurse Who Created His Own Emergencies 00:31 Another Healthcare True Crime Case 01:08 Who Was Niels Högel? 02:37 Coworkers Notice a Terrifying Pattern 03:45 The Hospital Lets Him Leave 04:26 321 Deaths Around His Shifts 06:44 Why They Called Him Resuscitation Rambo 08:33 How Did He Choose His Patients? 13:18 A Nurse Finally Catches Him 15:10 Families Start Asking Questions 17:54 How Did the Hospitals Miss This? 21:16 Hospital Accountability vs Nurse Responsibility 26:48 His Motive Was Recognition 28:43 Sociopath vs Psychopath 36:20 How Healthcare Serial Killers Can Hide