A Colorado plastic surgeon has been found guilty of attempted manslaughter in the death of a 19-year-old patient who died 14 months after botched breast augmentation surgery.
Dr. Geoffrey Kim, 52, admitted he hadn’t called for five hours after then-18-year-old Emmalyn Nguyen went into cardiac arrest when she was put under anesthesia by nurse Rex Meeker on August 1, 2019.
A jury found him guilty of attempted reckless manslaughter and guilty of obstructing a telephone after failing to call for help, but not guilty of the most serious charge, attempted reckless manslaughter.
Kim, who was visibly dejected upon hearing the verdict, will be sentenced on September 8. He could face probation up to three years in prison.
The charge for which he was acquitted was considered the most serious offence, with Kim facing up to three years in prison if convicted.
Dr. Geoffrey Kim, 52, responds after being found guilty of attempted manslaughter over the death of a 19-year-old patient who died 14 months after botched her breast surgery
Kim’s defense team blamed anesthetist Rex Meeker for Nguyen’s death, claiming he gave her a toxic mix of drugs before surgery, including enough fentanyl to stop her heart, according to the Denver mail.
Meeker was initially charged with manslaughter but had it dropped in exchange for testimony at trial, according to 9news.
Last week, he argued that Kim wouldn’t let him call for the first five hours, KDVR reported.
Both Kim and Meeker have already forced to pay the Nguyen family $1 million each in a wrongful settlement.
Meeker gave up his license to administer anesthesia, although he still has his medical license.
Nguyen was left brain dead and unable to speak or walk after surgery and died 14 months later.
Her parents, Lynn Fam and Sonny Nguyen, told KDVR in December 2019 that their daughter wanted breast implants to boost her self-esteem after graduating from high school.
The teen, who was 18 at the time, had $6,000 saved for the surgery and was said to be in good health at the time.
Kim admitted he hadn’t called for five hours after Emmalyn Nguyen (pictured) went into cardiac arrest while being put under anesthesia
Kim will be sentenced on September 8. He could face probation up to three years in prison
Nguyen was left brain dead and unable to speak or walk after surgery and died 14 months later
The family’s lawyer, David Woodruff, said Emmalyn “wasn’t noticed. No one looked at her for about 15 minutes. A nurse enters the room and finds her blue.’
During the more than five hours Emmalyn was on the operating table, Woodruff said Mother Lynn sat in the waiting room, unaware of her daughter’s condition.
Lynn told the news station that the doctor came out at one point to tell her she wouldn’t be able to check on her daughter.
“She’s fine and she’s young, maybe that’s why she’s taking longer to wake up,” Lynn told her.
Woodruff said when medics arrived they used CPR to resuscitate 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 mix of drugs before surgery, including enough fentanyl to stop her heart. Meeker testified against Kim at the trial
Emmalyn (in bed) is pictured in the nursing home with her parents, Lynn Fam (right) and Sonny Nguyen (left). She was fed through a tube and connected to an oxygen machine for breathing
Nguyen, 19, died on October 4 after contracting pneumonia at her nursing home. She had been in a vegetative state since August 2019, after breast surgery failed
Her brain injury left her unable to talk, walk, or feed herself, so she was placed in a nursing home to receive 24-hour care. She had to be fed through a tube and have an oxygen machine breathe for her.
Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office Captain of Investigations, Travis Stewart, told the New York Post: ‘The investigation lasted more than two years and included dozens of interrogations and search warrants.
“Our hope is that this will be the beginning of bringing justice and a sense of closure to Emmalyn’s family.”
Her brain injury left her unable to talk, walk, or feed herself, so she was placed in a nursing home to receive 24-hour care. She had to be fed through a tube and have an oxygen machine breathe for her.
Prior to her death, Woodruff said Emmalyn was showing signs of progress, could smile occasionally and was medically stable. CBSDenver reported.
Emmalyn’s brain injury (pictured) left her unable to walk, talk or eat and required 24-hour care. She showed signs of progress before she died
The family’s lawyer, David Woodruff, said Emmalyn “wasn’t noticed. No one looked at her for about 15 minutes. A nurse enters the room and finds her blue’
The family said Meeker failed to administer Emmalyn’s anesthesia properly and then failed to monitor her condition. Kim is said to have attempted CPR in the meantime.
Emmalyn supposedly went into cardiac arrest again and was stabilized, but no calls were made.
At the final 911 call, Meeker can be heard saying, “She’s unconscious. We evaluated her. We have estimated a Glasgow score of 6 or 7.’
Anywhere from three to eight on the Glasgow scale indicates a patient is in a coma.
Colorado state records prior to Emmalyn’s case showed that Kim had not previously taken disciplinary action against him.
Meeker was charged in 2009 after a woman suffered brain damage and died during breast implant surgery. Meeker was the nurse anesthetist on that case. It was settled in 2012.