Emmalyn Nguyen Wiki – Emmalyn Nguyen Biography
Emmalyn Nguyen, Police have arrested the Colorado plastic surgeon and nurse anesthetist who was involved in the botched breast augmentation that led to the death of teenage patient Emmalyn Nguyen.
Surgeon Dr. Geoffrey Kim has been charged with reckless homicide and first-degree aggravated assault, both felonies. Nurse anesthetist Rex Meeker was also charged with reckless homicide.
Age of Emmalyn Nguyen
Emmalyn Nguyen is 18-years-old.
Family
Nguyen’s family settled their lawsuit with Kim and Meeker in June 2021, each agreeing to pay $1 million, CBS Denver reported.
In a statement following the news of Kim and Meeker’s charges, the family said they are grateful to “finally get justice for Emmalyn.”
“Although it will never bring our daughter back, at least this will help keep others from getting hurt and it will keep other families from ruining their lives,” her parents said, according to CBS News. “We still haven’t been able to bring closure to Emmalyn’s death. Hopefully filing criminal charges will bring to light the truth about what happened and bring justice for Emmalyn.”
Charged with Manslaughter for Teen’s Death After Botched Breast Augmentation
Emmalyn Nguyen, 18, went into cardiac arrest during the procedure, but authorities say the surgeon did not call 911 for five hours.
Nguyen had come to Kim at Colorado Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery for breast augmentation on Aug. 1, 2019. After she was given anesthesia, Nguyen went into cardiac arrest and began turning blue, but authorities say Kim didn’t ask for help. to take her to the hospital for about five hours.
Nguyen slipped into a coma and suffered severe brain damage, leaving her “in a permanent semiconscious state,” her family alleged in a lawsuit against Kim and Meeker. Fourteen months after surgery, on October 4, 2020, Nguyen died.
Medical authorities said Kim and Meeker had an obligation to call for help and take her to a hospital. Kim turned himself in Wednesday and was released on a $5,000 bond. There is currently a warrant out for Meeker’s arrest.
Investigation
“We opened this case in August 2019. The investigation took more than two years to complete and involved dozens of interviews and search warrants,” Capt. Travis Stewart of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. “Our hope is that this is the beginning of bringing justice and a sense of closure for Emmalyn’s family.”
Parents
Nguyen’s parents had said in the lawsuit that doctors left her “unobserved” for 15 minutes after administering anesthesia, during which time she went into cardiac arrest and stopped breathing. David Woodruff, the attorney representing Nguyen’s parents, told PEOPLE in December 2020 that staff at Kim’s plastic surgery center allegedly performed CPR on Nguyen twice and waited five and a half hours before calling 911. Her parents were not immediately told their daughter had gone into cardiac arrest, Woodruff alleged.
While in a vegetative state, Nguyen required constant care, including an indwelling feeding tube, according to the lawsuit, and faced a “permanent mental and physical deficiency.”
