Doctor, nurse booked after patient falls into coma following skin procedure

A doctor and a nurse have been booked on charges related to a skin care procedure that left a patient in critical condition.

The Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency's wide-area crime investigation unit said Sunday it had booked without detention the head physician of a dermatology clinic in Buk-gu, Gwangju, identified only as A, along with a nurse, on charges including professional negligence causing bodily harm.

On April 24, A allegedly violated sedation anesthesia guidelines while performing a lifting procedure on a woman in her 40s, causing her to go into cardiac arrest.

Sedation anesthesia carries the risk of respiratory depression — a condition in which anesthetic drugs suppress the breathing center, slowing or stopping respiration. The procedure can be performed without a dedicated anesthesiologist, making it relatively accessible, but that same characteristic makes it potentially dangerous.

The patient was transferred to a regional university hospital but has not regained consciousness in the month since.

A admitted to medical negligence during police questioning. The nurse who assisted in the procedure was also booked as a suspect.