Police investigate after 27-month-old girl's cardiac arrest under anesthesia in Ulsan
In short
A 27-month-old girl suffered cardiac arrest during general anesthesia at an ophthalmology hospital in Ulsan's Jung-gu district on Oct 2 and had not regained consciousness as of Oct 6, according to Yonhap and other outlets. Police booked hospital staff on suspicion of professional negligence causing injury and seized nursing and anesthesia records. Newsis reported an Instagram post claiming the child became brain-dead, a description the police-based accounts do not use.
Read the full story 2 min read
Police in Ulsan are investigating after a 27-month-old girl suffered cardiac arrest while under general anesthesia at an ophthalmology hospital in the city's Jung-gu district, Yonhap reported, citing the Ulsan Jungbu Police Station and the Ulsan Fire Department. The 119 emergency call was received at about 11:26 a.m. on Oct 2. Kukmin Ilbo, Newsis, Seoul Shinmun, the Dong-A Ilbo, Chosun Ilbo and Maeil Business also reported the incident. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
The girl received cardiopulmonary resuscitation and was moved to a nearby hospital, where her heartbeat was restored, before being transferred to a university hospital in the region, according to Yonhap, the Dong-A Ilbo and Maeil Business. As of Oct 6 she had not regained consciousness, those outlets reported. She had been scheduled to undergo surgery to treat trichiasis, in which eyelashes turn inward and irritate the cornea. [ 3 , 5 , 7 ]
Her guardian filed a complaint against hospital staff on Oct 4. Police booked the staff on suspicion of professional negligence causing injury and obtained nursing and anesthesia records to examine the sequence of events and whether the treatment given was appropriate, according to Yonhap, the Dong-A Ilbo and Maeil Business. [ 3 , 5 , 7 ]
A closed-circuit camera was installed in the operating room, but the hospital says no video was recorded at the time; police said they are checking whether footage exists or was recorded, according to Yonhap and Maeil Business. A hospital official told Yonhap that its own review found the anesthetic dose was normal but that the incident appeared to stem from an inadequate oxygen supply during anesthesia. The official said the anesthesiologist had admitted a mistake, that the doctor and the guardian met so the cause could be explained, and that the hospital had provided materials to police, was cooperating with the investigation and would do its utmost to help the child recover. [ 3 , 7 ]
Maeil Business reported further detail from the guardian's social media posts. She said the child entered the operating room at about 11:05 a.m. on Oct 2, that medication was administered at about 11:15 a.m. under anesthesiology instructions, and that at about 11:21 a.m. oxygen saturation fell and cyanosis appeared, at which point CPR began, with the 119 call made five minutes later. She said the child weighed under 10 kg and that she had asked repeatedly whether general anesthesia was possible and was told there was no problem; she said she could not meet the surgeon or the anesthesiologist on the day of the surgery. She said she wanted the truth established through evidence rather than statements, adding, “I'm not trying to blame anyone, I want to know the truth through evidence, not through what people say.” [ 7 ]
Newsis reported an Instagram post published on Oct 5 by a user alleging a medical accident, saying the 27-month-old became brain-dead during surgery at an ophthalmology clinic in Ulsan on Oct 2 and describing the controversy as spreading. Yonhap, the Dong-A Ilbo and Maeil Business did not describe the child as brain-dead, saying instead that she had not regained consciousness as of Oct 6. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 7 ]
Why it matters
The case has moved from a social media allegation of a medical accident to a criminal investigation, with police examining the anesthesia and the emergency response at the clinic. Because accounts of the child's condition differ between a viral post and police-based reporting, the investigation's findings on the cause and the disputed claims will shape the case's legal and public course.
Key facts
- A 27-month-old girl suffered cardiac arrest during general anesthesia at an ophthalmology hospital in Jung-gu, Ulsan, on Oct 2. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- A 119 call reporting the cardiac arrest was received at about 11:26 a.m. that day. [ 3 , 5 , 7 ]
- The girl received CPR and her heartbeat was restored at a nearby hospital before she was moved to a university hospital, where she had not regained consciousness as of Oct 6. [ 3 , 5 , 7 ]
- She had been scheduled for surgery to treat trichiasis, in which eyelashes turn inward and irritate the cornea. [ 3 , 5 , 7 ]
- Her guardian filed a complaint against hospital staff on Oct 4. [ 3 , 5 , 7 ]
- Police booked the staff on suspicion of professional negligence causing injury and obtained nursing and anesthesia records to examine the sequence of events and whether the treatment was appropriate. [ 3 , 5 , 7 ]
- The hospital says CCTV in the operating room did not record at the time, and police are checking whether footage exists or was recorded. [ 3 , 7 ]
- A hospital official said its own review found the anesthetic dose was normal but that oxygen supply during anesthesia was inadequate. [ 3 , 7 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A 27-month-old girl suffered cardiac arrest during general anesthesia at an ophthalmology hospital in Jung-gu, Ulsan, on Oct 2. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- A 119 call reporting the cardiac arrest was received at about 11:26 a.m. on Oct 2. [ 3 , 5 , 7 ]
- The girl received CPR and her heartbeat was restored at a nearby hospital before she was moved to a university hospital, where she had not regained consciousness as of Oct 6. [ 3 , 5 , 7 ]
- She had been scheduled to undergo surgery for trichiasis, in which eyelashes turn inward and irritate the cornea. [ 3 , 5 , 7 ]
- Her guardian filed a complaint against hospital staff on Oct 4. [ 3 , 5 , 7 ]
- Police booked hospital staff on suspicion of professional negligence causing injury and obtained nursing and anesthesia records to examine the sequence of events and whether the treatment given was appropriate. [ 3 , 5 , 7 ]
- A closed-circuit camera was installed in the operating room, but the hospital says no video was recorded at the time; police said they are checking whether footage exists or was recorded. [ 3 , 7 ]
- A hospital official said its own review found the anesthetic dose was normal but that the incident appeared to stem from an inadequate oxygen supply during anesthesia. [ 3 , 7 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the child is brain-dead Newsis relays an Instagram post saying the child became brain-dead, while Yonhap, the Dong-A Ilbo and Maeil Business report only that she had not regained consciousness as of Oct 6; the brain-death description rests on a single social media claim.
- The cause of the cardiac arrest The hospital says its own review found the anesthetic dose was normal but oxygen supply was inadequate during anesthesia; police say the investigation into what happened and whether treatment was appropriate is continuing.
- Whether operating room video exists The hospital says CCTV in the operating room did not record at the time, and police say they are checking whether footage exists or was recorded; only the hospital's account is given.
- Whether the anesthesiologist admitted a mistake This is stated by a hospital official to Yonhap and repeated by Maeil Business citing Yonhap, and is not independently confirmed by police or the family in the documents.
- The sequence of events inside the operating room The minute-by-minute account comes from the guardian's social media posts, reported by Maeil Business and described as based on nursing records; police have not published their own reconstruction.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Oct 2: According to the guardian's social media account, the child enters the operating room for trichiasis surgery at the ophthalmology hospital in Jung-gu, Ulsan. [ 7 ]
- Oct 2: Medication is administered under anesthesiology instructions, according to the guardian, citing nursing records. [ 7 ]
- Oct 2: Oxygen saturation falls and cyanosis appears, and CPR begins, according to the guardian. [ 7 ]
- Oct 2: A 119 call reports that the 27-month-old girl suffered cardiac arrest during general anesthesia. [ 3 , 5 , 7 ]
- Oct 4: The girl's guardian files a complaint against hospital staff. [ 3 , 5 , 7 ]
- Oct 5: An Instagram post alleging a medical accident and saying the child became brain-dead is published, later reported by Newsis. [ 2 ]
- Oct 6: Kukmin Ilbo reports the cardiac arrest during anesthesia at an Ulsan ophthalmology hospital. [ 1 ]
- Oct 6: Newsis reports the Instagram post and says controversy is spreading. [ 2 ]
- Oct 6: Yonhap reports police have opened an investigation; the girl had not regained consciousness. [ 3 ]
- Oct 6: Seoul Shinmun reports the cardiac arrest and police investigation. [ 4 ]
- Oct 6: The Dong-A Ilbo reports the girl had not regained consciousness for a fifth day and that police booked hospital staff and secured records. [ 5 ]
- Oct 6: Chosun Ilbo reports the girl had not regained consciousness. [ 6 ]
- Oct 6: Maeil Business reports the guardian's social media account, including the surgery timeline and her account of the hospital's response. [ 7 ]