Geoffrey Kim’s driving license was revoked after a patient suffered cardiac arrest

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colorado — Last month, state regulators revoked the license of a plastic surgeon who was convicted in connection with the death of an 18-year-old patient. They had previously learned of a second patient who suffered cardiac arrest during a procedure in 2020 but survived.

In June 2023, an Arapahoe County jury convicted Dr. Geoffrey Kim of attempted manslaughter and obstruction of telephone service in connection with the death of 18-year-old Emmalyn Nguyen in 2020. He was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter. Kim was sentenced to 15 days in jail and two years’ probation in November last year, but was allowed to continue practicing medicine.

The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said Nguyen underwent a surgical procedure at Colorado Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery on August 1, 2019, and suffered cardiac arrest after being administered anesthesia. She fell into a coma and died 14 months later, officials said.

A nurse interviewed during the initial investigation reported that she and other staff members “requested multiple times” to call 911. She said Kim “initially did not agree” and assured staff that Nguyen would wake up “if given a little more time,” the affidavit states.

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According to court documents, Kim’s Colorado medical license was briefly suspended in January 2020 due to the incident with Nguyen. It was reinstated the following month, but placed on three years’ probation. During that time, Kim was only allowed to perform procedures that required “general anesthesia and conscious sedation in the presence and on-site of an anesthesiologist,” the document states.

Last month, the Colorado Medical Board panel reviewed the results of an investigation related to a 2023 complaint. The actual incident occurred in October 2020, when Kim was on probation in connection with Nguyen’s cardiac arrest.

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Documents obtained by 9NEWS Investigates show that a woman suffered cardiac arrest during a procedure on October 14, 2020. According to the letter ordering the suspension of Kim’s driver’s license, chest compressions were performed for several minutes until the patient was successfully resuscitated.

It is noted that the patient’s partner allowed her to be driven to the emergency room in a private vehicle. She was admitted to the hospital and remained there until the next day.

The letter states that several doctors noted in her medical records that they did not believe she had “come in” for treatment, that an ambulance should have been called, and that the patient had just woken up from anesthesia and was unable to make decisions about her medical treatment.

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There were also “significant” deviations in the duration of the patient’s resuscitation. According to the hospital report, resuscitation lasted 30 seconds, while an anesthesia protocol documented a duration of four minutes.

The letter states that the decision not to contact emergency services was a “serious error” and a “clear breach” of duty of care.

Kim’s driver’s license was confiscated effective June 18 at 4:00 p.m.