Breathing Difficulty and Decreased Oxygen Saturation During Examination
Currently Under Treatment but Unconscious
A man in his 40s undergoing a health checkup at a hospital in Guro-gu, Seoul, went into cardiac arrest during a sedated endoscopy.
At around 8:40 a.m. on the 4th, the police and fire department received a report that a man in his 40s, Mr. B, who was undergoing a health checkup at Hospital A in Guro-gu, Seoul, went into cardiac arrest with breathing difficulties during a sedated endoscopy. While undergoing the sedated endoscopy, Mr. B showed symptoms of breathing difficulty and decreased oxygen saturation. Upon receiving the report, the fire authorities immediately requested cooperation from the police, and paramedics performed CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on Mr. B while transporting him to a general hospital in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Currently, Mr. B is receiving treatment but is reported to be unconscious.
Sleep endoscopy. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Image source=Getty Images]
Earlier in April, a man in his 60s died after undergoing a colonoscopy at a clinic in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk. At that time, the 60-year-old Mr. C was found in cardiac arrest in the recovery room after a sedated colonoscopy at the clinic. He was transferred to a general hospital in Yeongcheon, Gyeongbuk, but passed away about two hours later. Additionally, in 2021, a patient taking blood pressure medication suddenly died after being administered propofol for an endoscopy at a comprehensive health screening center in a hospital in Seoul. The bereaved family filed a lawsuit claiming the hospital overdosed propofol, and the court ruled in the first trial that the medical staff bore partial responsibility, ordering compensation of approximately 230 million KRW to the family.
In March, a man in his 50s who was undergoing a colonoscopy at a general hospital died from septic shock caused by colon perforation, and the bereaved family filed a civil lawsuit against the attending physician. Previously, the prosecution indicted the attending physician without detention on charges of professional negligence resulting in death. The prosecution found that the physician failed to properly fulfill the duty to explain post-discharge care methods regarding the possibility of peritonitis to patient Mr. D, who had undergone clip suturing for colon perforation and was discharged.
About six days after discharge, Mr. D was hospitalized due to fever symptoms and transferred to a higher-level hospital, where he died in a state of septic shock while receiving treatment. The autopsy results for Mr. D showed "sigmoid colon perforation caused by complications from colonoscopy." The court found a causal relationship between the medical staff's negligence and the victim's death and ordered the hospital to compensate the victim's husband approximately 140 million KRW and each of the two children about 89 million KRW. This lawsuit is currently in the second trial.
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