Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike has been hospitalized after an attempt to execute her by lethal injection failed, her lawyers confirmed. The 50-year-old was administered two doses of the drug pentobarbital at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville on Wednesday evening, but remained alive.

Her legal team filed an emergency motion to halt the execution, stating that Ms. Pike had lost consciousness but still had a heartbeat and was audibly snoring. One of her attorneys informed the BBC that Pike was receiving life-saving measures in hospital following the failed attempt.

Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. The execution was the subject of a last-minute legal battle, with the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately allowing the lethal injections to proceed.

Pike was 18 when she and her then-boyfriend committed the murder. Slemmer's mother, May Martinez, expressed her frustration, telling NBC News that the events were "a mess."

The attempted execution began around 8:00 PM local time. According to the Associated Press, the curtain in the witness room was closed twice, and media were asked to leave at one point. Tennessee's execution protocol includes a secondary set of syringes if the first fails, but it does not specify procedures for a failed second attempt.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced he had ordered a comprehensive, third-party review into the incident. He also stated that the state's final scheduled execution for the year would not proceed as planned.

This is not the first execution attempt in Tennessee this year to encounter issues. In May, the execution of Tony Carruthers was postponed after staff were unable to locate a vein for the lethal drug.

The Tennessee Department of Correction stated it stands by its actions, with a spokesperson telling The Tennessean that all established protocols were followed and that the lethal injection chemical has consistently been effective. The department confirmed Pike had been transported to an off-site medical facility.