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A doctor who killed a patient by administering propofol without checking whether he or she was fasting was sentenced to a fine in the first trial.



According to the legal community on the 20th, Judge Park Seol-ah, who is the 24th independent criminal of the Seoul Central District Court, sentenced a surgeon A (58), who was recently charged with manslaughter, a fine of 15 million won.



At about 11 am on June 27, 2018, Mr. A decided to perform a 'Prolo Injection procedure' to restore ligament function to patient B in his 60s who complained of knee and back pain at his hospital.



He administered a total of 12 ml of propofol, a sleep anesthetic, to Mr. B for the procedure, but he did not check in detail whether Mr. B had fasted for more than 6 hours.



At that time, it was investigated that the nurse's assistant, who had heard from Mr. B, "only passed a spoonful of rice," delivered it to Mr. A only to the effect that Mr. B hardly ate.



In addition, in case of emergency such as airway obstruction, respiratory arrest, or cardiac arrest during the procedure, it is known that Mr. A performed the procedure without preparing a defibrillator, face mask, and oxygen delivery equipment.



Person B was classified as a high-risk group for cardiovascular disease in a blood test at Mr. A's hospital a month ago and was a high-risk patient following propofol administration.



After that, Mr. B, who received propofol, started vomiting in an unconscious state 50 minutes after the start of the procedure, and Mr. A pulled out the vomit using a medical device that sucks foreign substances.



However, when Mr. B was unable to breathe, an attempt was made to intubate the airway for first aid, but was unsuccessful. After that, Mr. B was taken to the emergency room, but died within 2 hours.



The court acknowledged that Mr. A's negligence caused death, but held that Mr. B's negligence, who did not fast despite having had two prolotherapy injections in the past, had a greater impact on his death than Mr. A's negligence.



“Since the victim received the procedure that was originally scheduled for 2 p.m., but has been moved to 11 a.m., the defendant had to make sure that the victim adheres to the fasting time more clearly,” he said. "It appears that not fasting had a greater effect on mortality," he explained.



On the other hand, propofol is a type of sleep anesthetic and is mainly used for general anesthesia surgery, procedures, diagnosis, or for sedation of critically ill patients with artificial respiration.



If you eat before anesthesia, the food from the stomach will pass into the lungs and increase the risk of aspiration pneumonia, so you must follow the fasting rules before surgery.



In addition, information on tracheal intubation and allergic reactions to anesthesia, which was difficult if you have had anesthesia in the past, is provided to the hospital, and when performing sedation, check if there is an anesthesiologist, and then you can receive anesthesia more safely if you have an anesthesiologist.



Other 'safety standards for the use of narcotic propofol for medical use' are as follows.


◆ Propofol must be administered by a physician in a medical institution equipped with emergency equipment.


◆ Always recognize that propofol is a drug with high potential for misuse and administer the appropriate amount, and do not administer alone regardless of procedure, surgery, or diagnosis.


◆ For simple procedures and diagnosis, it is recommended that the number of propofol administration does not exceed once a month.


◆ When propofol administration is required, it is desirable to check the patient's past propofol use history.



(※ Note: Korea Anti-Drug Headquarters 'Standards for Safe Use of Medical Narcotics Propofol', 2020.09.16)


In addition, from May 31, this year, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Korea Drug Safety Administration will provide a mobile application (app) called 'My Medication History Inquiry', which allows you to check your medical narcotic medication history and information.



In the case of a PC, you can search by clicking 'Inquiry My Medication History' after installing the 'Drug Safety Information Assistant' app in the 'Medical Drug Handling Big Data Utilization Service (data.nims.or.kr)' in the case of a PC. .

Based on the inquiry date, you can inquire the history of drug administration (dispensing) for up to two years in the past, and it is possible to inquire in units of one year.