Death Due to Arterial Injury During Herniated Disc Surgery... Operating Doctor Fined 10 Million Won

The first trial court recognized the negligence of the surgeon and sentenced a fine of 10 million won on the 14th regarding the accident in which a patient died due to arterial damage during lumbar disc removal surgery. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Nahana] The first trial court recognized the negligence of the operating surgeon and sentenced a fine of 10 million won in an accident where a patient died due to arterial damage during lumbar disc removal surgery.

On the 14th, the Busan District Court announced that it sentenced Dr. A of a certain hospital, who was indicted for professional negligence causing death, to a fine of 10 million won.

Dr. A performed disc removal surgery on patient B (60, female), who was hospitalized for lumbar disc pain, at around 1 p.m. on March 25 last year.

The surgery involved removing the disc between the lumbar vertebrae 3 and 4, where many blood vessels such as the abdominal aorta are located, to treat lumbar intervertebral disc herniation.

The surgical tools used for disc removal, such as pituitary forceps, have pointed ends and require caution to avoid damaging blood vessels.

The prosecution viewed that Dr. A caused damage to the patient's abdominal aorta during the disc removal surgery with pituitary forceps without proper caution, leading to the patient's death.

At that time, patient B was transferred to Busan National University Hospital after the accident but died at around 3:26 p.m. on the same day.

The court stated, "The defendant caused damage to the abdominal aorta with surgical tools during the disc removal surgery, resulting in the irreversible death of the victim, and the responsibility is not light."

It added, "However, the defendant admitted the mistake, deeply reflected on it, and reached an amicable agreement with the bereaved family, which was considered in sentencing."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.