Nurse Joanna Flynn told a Barrie court she didn't need a doctor's order to remove a patient from life support.
Flynn has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death after Deanna Leblanc was taken off a ventilator without authorization of a doctor.
Leblanc, 39 and a Midland mother of three, was admitted to the Georgian Bay General Hospital in the early hours of March 2, 2014 after having a heart attack at home, two days after a routine knee operation at a Newmarket hospital.
Flynn is testifying in her own defence after the Crown rested its case Tuesday.
During some testy exchanges in cross examination, the Crown asked Flynn if she would give a patient an aspirin without a doctor's order.
"At some point they would have to be aware," Flynn said.
Moments later she testified: "The nurse never has the final say."
The crown contends Flynn acted alone against policy in turning off Leblanc's ventilator.
Flynn is also accused of coercing Leblanc’s husband Michael into consenting
"You were on a mission," charged prosecutor Bhava Bangu.
"It's not a mission. It's advocacy," replied Flynn.
The crown accused Flynn of "making up" parts of her story but the Intensive Care Unit nurse stuck to her position that she was legally obligated to act according to the wishes of Leblanc's husband.
"I obtained informed consent from the substitute decision-maker," Flynn testified. "I didn't believe I needed a doctor's order because I am legally obligated to do it."
Flynn said she was under time pressure to obtain a DNR or Do Not Resuscitate order from Michael Leblanc because nurses feared Deanna could go into cardiac arrest.
"He said she didn't want to be hooked up to machines. She wouldn't want to live like this," Flynn testified Michael told her.
When she approached the ICU physician in charge that night, Dr. Josef Dolezel, about the husband's wishes Flynn testified he said to wait and leave it to the next day's doctor.
Flynn insisted she also urged the distraught husband to wait but she did not convey Dolezel's exact words.
"I told him (Michael) at least three times to sleep on it," she testified she told Michael.
When she went back to Dolozel a second time to tell the doctor Michael was insisting on removing life-support, Flynn said he turned his back to her.
"He had absolutely no interest in engaging in a conversation about this," Flynn testified. "I was dismissed."
Flynn testified she planned to complain about Dolozel's treatment of Michael Leblanc when she came to work on the following Monday.
Court heard she had previously filed two formal complaints about the doctor for his 'lack of responsiveness' to pages and for leaving sharp instruments at patients' bedsides.
The crown put several passages of previous testimony to Flynn from her colleagues about conversations they said they had with the accused.
Flynn flatly denied the conversations happened.
The Crown argued Flynn's notes were lacking a lot of detail about conversations she had with Michael Leblanc.
Flynn agreed her charting that night was 'very, very poor.'
"I guess you could characterize it as sloppy," she said.
Her testimony continues Thursday.
