An American cosmetic surgeon is accused of being responsible for the death of a young 18-year-old patient, who died several months after an operation.
For her 18th birthday, Emmalyn Nguyen hoped to increase the size of her breasts. She went to consult Dr. Geoffrey Kim, with whom she organized her future cosmetic surgery operation. But the 52-year-old is now accused of causing his death following the operation. The “New York Post” reports that he turned himself in to police in Arapahoe County, Colorado, after a warrant was issued for his arrest. Official criminal charges were yet to be filed as of the weekend but the surgeon is expected to face multiple counts including felony negligent homicide, manslaughter and misdemeanor obstruction of service said Vikki Migoya, spokesperson for the district attorney’s office for the 18th Judicial District. In the meantime, he was released on bail after paying $5,000.
According to the investigation, Dr. Kim was scheduled to perform breast surgery on 1er August 2019 but the young girl went into cardiac arrest after being placed under anesthesia by the nurse anesthetist. The surgeon is accused of not having called the emergency services and of having waited at least 5 hours before acting, thus plunging the patient into a state of brain death. She remained in this condition, unable to speak or walk for 14 months, until her death. In this case, the nurse too should soon be charged.
“Our lives will never be the same”
The Nguyen family filed a civil suit against the two in December 2019. In 2021, the doctor and nurse agreed to an out-of-court settlement, each paying the family $1 million. Separately, the Colorado Medical Board suspended Dr. Kim’s medical license. Lynn Fam, Nguyen’s mother, said: ‘We are all still very devastated and in mourning after the loss of our beautiful Emmalyn. It’s still so surreal. This settlement or any amount of money could never replace it. All we really want is for Emmalyn to be with us healthy and happy again.” “It’s crazy trying to find out how these medical staff got away with it when none of us know the truth about what really happened when Emmalyn was in the operating theatre. How could they let this happen to him? Our lives will never be the same again and our hearts will never be at peace. It is so difficult to lose a child in the hands of someone who you thought knew what he was doing, ”the relatives said.
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