XENIA, Ohio — Results of preliminary autopsies on two of the three nursing home residents who died after a suspected mix-up in the home's oxygen system do not rule out that they were asphyxiated by nitrogen, a coroner said Friday.

        Greene County Coroner Kevin Sharrett said more testing must be done before he can determine what caused their deaths, however.

        Dr. Sharrett also said it has not been determined whether nitrogen was in the suspect tank that was hooked into the oxygen lines.

        Dr. Sharrett made his remarks at a Friday afternoon news conference also attended by Greene County Prosecutor William Schenck and Sugarcreek Township Police Chief Kelly Blair.

        Mr. Schenck said not enough is known about the case to decide how to proceed. He said options include handling it as a civil matter, with a coroner's inquest, or a grand jury proceeding.

        “We have not reached any, even preliminary, thought or conclusion as to whether there is any type of criminal activity,” Mr. Schenck said.

        Three women in the hospital on Friday were among the seven taken there the day before from the Carriage-by-the-Lake nursing home in Bellbrook, fire officials said.

        The tank that was found hooked into the oxygen system had an oxygen label partially covered by a smaller nitrogen label, said Bob Miles, an assistant fire chief from nearby Washington Township.

        Nitrogen displaces oxygen and can cause asphyxia, Mr. Miles said.

        Mr. Miles said medical facilities sometimes use nitrogen to purge lines used to carry air.

        Robert Gill, a spokesman for Sparks, Md.-based Integrated Health Services Inc., which owns the nursing home, said he has not seen the tank and does not know how it was labeled.

        “But this facility only has a contract to receive oxygen from our supplier. Nitrogen has never been used here.”

        Mr. Gill said that when a new supply of tanks arrives, the supplier usually hooks up a few of them. Nursing home workers then switch them with fresh tanks as needed.

        “We truly believe our staff here conducted themselves bravely under very difficult circumstances,” he said.

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