A Denver-area teenager who went into a year long coma following complications from breast enhancement surgery is dead.
Fox 31 reports family and friends attended a memorial service for Emmalyn Nguyen on Sunday.
State regulators reinstated the surgeon in March, allowing Dr. Geoffrey Kim to practice while under probation for the next three years.
The family has sued Kim and Nurse Anesthetist Rex Meeker of gross negligence.
Nguyen went into cardiac arrest after being given an anesthesia, but it took the medical team five hours to call 911, according to CBS Denver.
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The family told the station Nguyen had been making progress, but developed pneumonia earlier this month and suffered a fatal heart attack two days later.
The family’s attorney says the gross negligence lawsuit will now be a wrongful death lawsuit.
“The world has lost a wonderful, sweet, vibrant young lady,” said Woodruff. “She had a lifetime ahead of her which was needlessly cut short.”
The family remains perplexed as to why Kim is practicing once again. The nurse anesthetist is also practicing again, but voluntarily agreed not to administer anesthesia.
“I don’t know what the board is thinking but I think that’s kind of unfair. He nearly killed someone and he only gets three years probation?” Nguyen’s father Sonny told Fox 31.
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