Medical staff walk past a sign board at Korea University Anam Hospital in Seongbuk District, Seoul, on July 12. Korea Times photo by Lim Eun-jae
A Seoul court has ruled that medical negligence contributed to the death of a woman six days after undergoing a cesarean section, ordering the hospital to compensate the family 185 million won ($140,000).
Judge Lee Jong-min of the Seoul Northern District Court awarded a partial victory to the family of a woman on Thursday, who died in February 2022 after a cesarean delivery at Korea University Anam Hospital in Seongbuk District, Seoul. The court ordered the hospital's operating foundation to compensate the family.
According to the court, the woman aged 42 at the time, delivered her child via C-section on Jan. 27, 2022, at 37 weeks of pregnancy. During the operation, she suffered a significant hemorrhage of 3 liters, causing her blood pressure to drop sharply.
Medical staff administered 4 liters of intravenous fluids, five packs of concentrated red blood cells and a massive transfusion. Although she appeared to stabilize, her condition worsened 10 minutes after being transferred to a recovery room, where she reported severe pain.
Despite receiving additional fluids, CPR, red blood cell infusions and uterotonic drugs, she passed away on Feb. 2, leaving behind her newborn child and husband.
The family claimed that the medical team failed to adequately monitor the woman's condition after the surgery.
They argued that the staff neglected to perform blood tests for disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), a serious clotting disorder that occurs during surgery when clotting components malfunction, leading to uncontrollable bleeding. In June 2022, the family filed a lawsuit seeking damages.
The hospital defended its actions, saying, “We took all necessary steps to improve her condition, including blood transfusions. If DIC developed, it was an unavoidable complication.”
After two and a half years of deliberation, the court partially acknowledged negligence by the medical staff. It determined that the staff failed to meet their duty of care by not properly monitoring the patient for DIC.
“If severe leakage occurred at the surgical site just 55 minutes after the procedure ended, the medical team should not have simply confirmed uterine stability and left the patient unattended. Immediate tests, such as emergency coagulation factor analyses, should have been conducted,” the court stated.
It also criticized the delay in performing blood tests, which were ordered but not conducted until two hours later. The court concluded, “This negligence likely contributed to the patient's death.”
In addition to ruling against the hospital, the court dismissed a countersuit filed by the hospital seeking 4.5 million won in unpaid surgery fees. During the trial, the family alleged that the hospital pressured them to withdraw their lawsuit by implying the fees would be waived.
When asked about the ruling, a hospital official said, “We have not yet decided on our response.”
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.