Child Dies from Anesthesia Complications at Gangnam Eye Clinic in Seoul
Despite Filing 'Operating Room CCTV Recording Request Form',
"Communication Error Caused No Recording"... Police Investigation Underway
Recently, an 8-year-old child who underwent general anesthesia surgery at an ophthalmology clinic in Gangnam, Seoul, died. The guardian had requested CCTV recording before the surgery, but the hospital explained after the accident that "it was not recorded," sparking controversy.
Son Dies During Eye Surgery... CCTV Footage "Does Not Exist"
On the 10th, KBS reported, "On the 22nd of last month, A (8), who was undergoing congenital ptosis surgery, showed symptoms of malignant hyperthermia, a side effect of general anesthesia, and was transferred to the emergency room. However, his condition worsened, and he died four days later." The report added, "The bereaved family requested to view the CCTV footage based on a surgery room CCTV recording request form submitted two weeks prior."
However, the hospital told the family that "the surgery room CCTV was not recording at that time." It was explained that due to a communication error between departments during the process of switching the CCTV recording option from automatic to manual, the recording did not take place.
The family told KBS, "We were worried that there might be difficulties during intubation, so we asked (before the surgery), but they said, 'The surgery room CCTV is all running, so there is nothing to worry about.'" They added, "We hope the doctors did their best, so we want to see the footage and are waiting until this very moment."
The family filed a complaint with the police against hospital officials for professional negligence resulting in death and evidence tampering. The police have confirmed that some CCTV cameras in the hospital were not functioning and have secured the CCTV hard drives to conduct forensic investigations to verify whether recordings exist.
According to the revised Medical Service Act, since September last year, medical institutions performing surgeries under general anesthesia or when the patient is unconscious are required to install CCTV in the operating room. Recording can be done if requested by the patient undergoing surgery or their guardian. Recorded footage must be stored for at least 30 days, and violations can result in fines of up to 5 million won.
However, the hospital has stated that it did not intentionally fail to record or delete footage and is cooperating actively with the investigation.
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