Surgeon fined after their neglect of postoperative care resulted in patient's death
Published: 25 Jan. 2026, 14:25
Updated: 25 Jan. 2026, 15:15
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[KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]
A neurosurgeon was fined for neglecting postoperative care of a patient who had undergone neck disc surgery, leading to the patient's death.
The Incheon District Court on Sunday fined the neurosurgeon 15 million won ($10,370) for professional negligence resulting in death.
The defendant was accused of failing to properly monitor and remove a hematoma that developed at the surgical site after operating on the patient at a hospital in Incheon on June 21, 2021.
Although neck disc surgeries carry a high risk of postoperative hematoma, the defendant left work at 6:03 p.m. on the day of the procedure without ordering or reviewing an X-ray examination of the patient.
The patient died at 4:10 a.m. the next day from airway obstruction caused by bleeding.
During the trial, the defendant claimed to have ordered a preoperative X-ray and argued that leaving work without reviewing the image did not constitute professional negligence. However, nurses present at the time testified that they did not recall receiving instructions to conduct an X-ray during the defendant’s rounds.
“The defendant finished rounds and left without reviewing the X-ray results and made no effort to check them afterward,” said the court. “It is difficult to understand why they did not even request to have the results sent by mobile phone.”
“The defendant’s negligence resulted in the patient’s death — a grave consequence,” added the court, which also noted that the punishment took into account a settlement reached with the victim’s family and the fact that the defendant had no prior criminal record.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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