nashville, Oct. 2 -- The lethal drug administered in Tennessee's failed attempt to execute Christa Pike has been used in multiple US states that carry out the death penalty.
Pentobarbital is a barbiturate, a class of drugs that depresses the central nervous system. Approved medical uses include sedation, short-term treatment of insomnia, preparation for anesthesia and emergency control of certain severe seizures. In an overdose, it can produce coma, suppress breathing and cause circulatory collapse and death.
Experts quoted in the 2025 federal review argue pentobarbital can cause pulmonary edema, a buildup of fluid in the lungs that may create a sensation of suffocating. ap
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