By Stephen Manning,Associated Press Writer

ROCKVILLE, Md. – A former intensive care nurse accused of contributing to the deaths of critically ill patients pleaded guilty Tuesday to neglect in five deaths during a two-year period.

Under a plea deal, Coleen Thompson, 36, could be sentenced to five years in prison for five misdemeanor counts of second-degree abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult.

Thompson is not accused of killing the patients, many of whom were terminally ill when they arrived at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. Rather, prosecutors said she sometimes hastened deaths by ignoring doctors’ orders or by withholding medications.

Thompson, who was fired in 2003 and had her nursing license suspended, wept quietly during Tuesday’s hearing.

Despite the plea agreement, “there isn’t any evidence that what she did contributed to the deaths of anyone,” said her attorney, Phil Armstrong. He blamed any negligence on the hospital overworking Thompson.

Prosecutors reviewed 211 patient deaths at Shady Grove between the time Thompson was hired in November 2000 and July 2003, when a fellow nurse told authorities she believed Thompson was responsible for patient deaths. The five deaths occurred in 2002 and 2003.

Thompson was assigned to the intensive care unit, where she looked after patients on life support.

Deputy State’s Attorney John McCarthy said Thompson failed to act as one patient’s blood pressure plunged. In another case, she prematurely declared a patient dead, McCarthy said.

In December 2002, an 86-year-old man was brought to Shady Grove with prostate cancer and other ailments. McCarthy said Thompson tried several times to turn his intravenous tube off.

Thompson told another nurse “it was time for the patient to die,” McCarthy said.

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