Reported Medical Incident at Grand Plastic Surgery

Incident Overview

On December 9, 2013, a 19-year-old female high school student from Samcheok, Gangwon Province underwent double eyelid and nose surgery at Grand Plastic Surgery located in Gangnam, Seoul.

Reported Details

  • Date: December 9, 2013
  • Patient: Female high school student (age 19)
  • Procedures: Double eyelid surgery and rhinoplasty
  • Complication: Cardiac arrest during surgery went unnoticed; surgery continued resulting in hypoxic brain damage
  • Outcome: Patient placed on life support, passed away in January 2015

Legal Proceedings

  • The attending physician was charged with professional negligence resulting in death and violations of the Medical Service Act
  • Seoul Central District Court sentenced the doctor to 1 year imprisonment with 2 years probation
  • Witnesses testified that the hospital director ignored requests to transfer the patient to a higher-level medical facility
  • Allegations of medical record falsification were raised - the director allegedly ordered staff to falsify records to show the patient had awakened before the 119 emergency call

Additional Allegations by Korean Society of Plastic Surgeons

  • The Korean Society of Plastic Surgeons described the incident as "human experimentation on the entire nation"
  • Allegations of "ghost surgery" - systematic use of substitute surgeons
  • Claims that the hospital destroyed millions of patient records over a one-year period
  • The Society questioned why only the employed physician was held responsible while the hospital director faced minimal consequences

Important Disclaimer

This information is based on publicly available news reports. Patients should conduct their own research before choosing any medical provider.

Sources

  • 의약뉴스 (newsmp.com) - "그랜드성형외과, 전 국민 상대 생체실험"
  • 청년의사 (docdocdoc.co.kr) - "그랜드성형외과 의료사고, 왜 봉직의만 처벌하나"
  • 파이낸셜뉴스 (fnnews.com) - 2021 follow-up report