Ten needles used in failed execution attempt on Christa Pike

Ten needles were used in an attempt to establish intravenous lines in Christa Pike's arms before the state of Tennessee administered lethal drugs on September 30. The specific count and the duration of the medical struggle appear in a court document filed on Thursday. The filing provides the most granular account of the failed execution to date.

Attorney Randy Spivey detailed the sequence of events in the submission. He noted that the medical team attempted to place the two required IV lines in multiple locations on Pike's arms. The team eventually secured a line in her right arm after approximately six minutes. Access to a usable vein in her left arm took nearly an hour. Spivey stated that the team had difficulty pushing saline through the final site they established.

During the procedure, Pike, 50, suggested the team examine her upper arm for a viable vein. Spivey described Pike as wincing and grimacing while members of the team moved needles across her left arm. At 6:57 p.m., one member suggested a vein might be blowing, though two others could not confirm. A subsequent needle appeared severely bent upon removal. By 7:07 p.m., a team member stated they believed the vein had blown. The team declared an IV successfully placed in her left arm at 7:13 p.m.

The administration of the pentobarbital began shortly after the IV lines were confirmed. Spivey reported that the team pushing the drug from an adjoining room repeatedly asked the IV team to check Pike's left arm. At 7:34 p.m., Pike said her arm felt like it was about to bust and that it burned. She continued speaking with her spiritual adviser for about ten minutes before making an agitated snoring sound.

For the next 30 minutes, Pike strained and appeared to struggle to breathe. Spivey requested a phone to contact colleagues. He was routed through the facility for seven minutes before making his call. He asked attorneys to stop the execution because a third dose is not authorized under state protocol. He told the deputy attorney general that Pike needed immediate medical care.

Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital. Tennessee's protocol requires a second dose if the first fails but does not specify procedures for survival after the second injection. She was placed on a ventilator for several days. At one point, her attorneys did not expect her to survive. She has since regained consciousness and returned to prison after hospital discharge.

The filing was submitted in a separate case where death row inmates are challenging Tennessee's lethal injection procedures. Kit Thomas, an attorney representing those inmates, said the likelihood of botched executions had materialized. He stated that without substantial change, such outcomes would continue to occur.