A Colorado plastic surgeon has been found guilty of attempted manslaughter after a teenage patient died 14 months after he botched her breast augmentation surgery.
dr Geoffrey Kim, 52, admitted he did not call 911 for five hours after Emmalyn Nguyen, then 18, went into cardiac arrest on August 1, 2019 while nurse Rex Meeker was administering anesthesia.
A jury found him guilty of attempted murder by negligence and jamming a telephone after he failed to call for help but not the most serious charge, attempted murder by negligence.
Kim, who appeared dejected at the sentencing hearing, will be sentenced on September 8 and face up to three years in prison.
The charge, on which he was acquitted, was considered the most serious of offenses, with Kim facing one to three years in prison if convicted.
dr Geoffrey Kim, 52, reacts after being found guilty of attempted manslaughter in the death of a 19-year-old patient, who died 14 months after botched breast surgery
Kim’s defense team blamed anesthetist Meeker for Nguyen’s death, claiming he gave her a toxic drug mix including enough fentanyl to stop her heart before the surgery, according to the Denver Post.
According to 9news, Meeker was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the charges were dropped despite testifying in court.
Last week, he argued that Kim wouldn’t let him call 911 for more than five hours, KDVR reported.
Both Kim and Meeker have already been forced to pay the Nguyen family $1 million each in wrongful death compensation.
Meeker relinquished his license to practice anesthesia but still holds his medical license.
Brain dead and unable to speak or walk after the operation, Nguyen died 14 months later.
Her parents, Lynn Fam and Sonny Nguyen, told KDVR in December 2019 that their daughter wanted breast implants after graduating high school to boost her self-image.
The then 18-year-old teenager had saved $6,000 for the surgery and was said to be in good health.
Kim admitted he didn’t call 911 for five hours after Emmalyn Nguyen (pictured) went into cardiac arrest following anesthesia
Brain dead and unable to speak or walk after the operation, Nguyen died 14 months later
Family attorney David Woodruff said Emmalyn “went unnoticed.” Nobody watched them for about 15 minutes. A nurse comes into the room and finds her blue.’
While Emmalyn was on the operating table for over five hours, Woodruff said mother Lynn sat in the waiting room and knew nothing of her daughter’s condition.
Lynn told the news channel that at one point the doctor came to her and told her she was unable to check on her daughter.
“She’s fine and she’s young, so maybe that’s why she’s taking longer to wake up,” Lynn said the doctor told her.
Woodruff said when paramedics arrived they tried CPR to revive Emmalyn, but she did not regain consciousness.
Kim’s defense team blamed anesthetist Rex Meeker (pictured) for Nguyen’s death, claiming he gave her a toxic drug mix including enough fentanyl to stop her heart before the operation. Meeker testified against Kim in court
Emmalyn (in bed) is pictured with her parents Lynn Fam (right) and Sonny Nguyen (left) at the nursing home. She was tube-fed and hooked up to an oxygen machine to breathe
Nguyen, 19, died on October 4 after contracting pneumonia at her nursing home. She has been in a vegetative state since August 2019 after breast surgery failed
Due to her brain injury, she was unable to speak, walk, or support herself. As a result, she was placed in a nursing home where she was cared for around the clock. She had to be fed through a tube and ventilated with an oxygen machine.
Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office Chief Investigator Travis Stewart told the New York Post, “The investigation has lasted more than two years and has involved dozens of interviews and search warrants.”
“We hope this will be the beginning of bringing justice and a sense of seclusion to Emmalyn’s family.”
Before her death, Woodruff said Emmalyn was showing signs of improvement, was able to smile at times and was medically stable, CBS Denver reported.
The family said Meeker failed to properly administer Emmalyn’s anesthesia and subsequently failed to monitor her condition. Kim is said to have attempted resuscitation.
Emmalyn’s (pictured) brain injury meant she could not walk, talk or feed herself and required round-the-clock care. Before she died, she showed signs of progress
Family attorney David Woodruff said Emmalyn “went unnoticed.” Nobody watched them for about 15 minutes. A nurse comes into the room and finds her blue.
When calling 911, Meeker is heard saying, “She’s unconscious.” We evaluated her. We estimated a Glasgow score of 6 or 7.”
A score between three and eight on the Glasgow scale indicates a patient is in a coma.
Colorado state records prior to Emmalyn’s case showed that no prior disciplinary action had been taken against Kim.
Meeker was reportedly sued in 2009 after a woman suffered brain damage and died during a breast implant surgery. Meeker was the anesthesiologist in this case. It was settled in 2012.