Dr. Geoffrey Kim, a plastic surgeon from Colorado, has been found guilty of charges related to the death of 19-year-old Emmalyn Nguyen during a breast augmentation procedure. The jury acquitted him of the more severe charge of negligent homicide. Nguyen suffered severe brain damage and fell into a coma after losing consciousness during the surgery due to a high dosage of anesthesia administered by nurse anesthetist Rex Meeker.
This method, known as “snowing,” involved administering a larger dose to induce rapid unconsciousness. However, nobody noticed Nguyen’s distress until several minutes later when her heart stopped. Despite Meeker’s desire to call 911, Dr. Kim refused to make the call for five hours.
While the medical team managed to revive Nguyen’s heart, her brain had already suffered significant damage due to oxygen deprivation. Dr. Kim continuously reassured Nguyen’s mother that everything was fine, even though her daughter remained unconscious. Only when Nguyen’s mother insisted on seeing her did Dr. Kim finally seek help. Tragically, by the time Nguyen arrived at the hospital, it was too late to save her. She remained in a vegetative state for more than a year before passing away.
Nguyen’s family filed a lawsuit against Dr. Kim, Meeker, and the medical practice, which was settled for $3 million. Dr. Kim faced a temporary suspension of his license following Nguyen’s death but continued performing surgeries until his trial. However, his felony conviction is expected to lead to the revocation of his license
