"Child with No Prior Health Issues"... Death After Knee Cartilage Surgery at Daejeon Eulji University Hospital

Bereaved Family: "Child Had No Health Issues"
Eulji University Hospital: "Need to Confirm Results of National Forensic Service Autopsy"

A college student who underwent knee cartilage surgery at Eulji University Hospital in Daejeon suddenly died, prompting a police investigation.

On the 13th, Yonhap News reported the story of A (19, female), a freshman at a university, who fell at a skate park in Seo-gu, Daejeon on December 22 last year and visited Eulji University Hospital.

KakaoTalk messages exchanged between Ssi and his mother before the surgery.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Initially, A was diagnosed at the hospital with a patellofemoral ligament tear and knee patellar dislocation, and after consulting with medical staff, she decided to undergo cartilage surgery. Living with a half cast, A underwent microfracture surgery and vitreous removal surgery for about an hour at around 12:40 PM on the 28th, six days later.

However, A's condition suddenly worsened immediately after the surgery, and despite emergency treatment at the hospital, she ultimately died around 6:20 PM the same day. A had just entered university and was known to have no pre-existing illnesses. The bereaved family could not hide their shock as there had been no health or lifestyle issues except for discomfort in knee movement after the surgery.

A’s mother told Yonhap News, “The surgery was completed successfully, but I was told she had not yet woken up from anesthesia, so I just kept waiting thinking that was the case,” adding, “They said it was a simple knee surgery that didn’t even touch the ligament, but this happened.” She choked up, saying, “I was with her in the hospital room until the day before the surgery. She asked me to buy ice cream, but I didn’t know that would be the last time...”

Eventually, A’s family filed a complaint with the Dunsan Police Station in Daejeon against four medical staff members at Eulji University Hospital on charges of professional negligence resulting in death.

According to the anesthesia records obtained by the family through the police, three different anesthesiologists were replaced during the approximately one-hour surgery on A. The family reportedly requested the police to secure hospital CCTV footage that could verify the movements of the anesthesiologists.

The Dunsan Police Station in Daejeon has secured and is analyzing 160 pages of hospital medical and anesthesia records while awaiting the detailed autopsy results from the National Forensic Service. The police plan to thoroughly investigate whether there was any negligence on the part of the hospital based on the autopsy results, medical records, and imaging data.

Daejeon Eulji University Hospital.
Photo by Yonhap News

The hospital stated that there were no medically significant factors during the surgery, anesthesia process, or follow-up treatment. A representative from Eulji University Hospital told Yonhap News, “Vital signs such as pulse dropped, so we immediately performed CPR, administered medication, and conducted ECMO treatment, but the patient died,” adding, “We internally suspect death due to pulmonary embolism, but the exact cause of death needs to be confirmed by the National Forensic Service autopsy results.”

Meanwhile, pulmonary embolism (PE), mentioned by the hospital, refers to a life-threatening condition caused by a blood clot flowing into the pulmonary artery. Pulmonary embolism is known as a disease requiring accurate diagnosis and emergency treatment because the mortality rate can reach 30% if treatment is delayed.

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