Cosmetic Surgery Leaves Thornton Teen Brain Damaged

[dabears505]

Come on, I think everyone would sound that way if they had realized permanent damage has been done to a previously healthy 18 year old. I don't know what you want him to sound like hours after. I'm sure the panic phase had passed and the gravity of the situation was settling in.

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[IlDestriero]

On drugs? Drunk? Maybe thats why he waited so long, to let it get out of his system. In case they tested his blood or urine.

They were deluding themselves thinking that there was no permanent damage and that she was young and healthy and would just wake up eventually. That would have been true if they were monitoring her closely and immediately treated her LAST or whatever, caused her initial hypoxia/PEA/asystole, but they were busy getting a sandwich and hitting the head while the block set up. I’m sure the alarms were all turned off as well, because they’re annoying to the surgeon. If I was responsible for something like that I’m not sure I could live with my guilt. The degree of negligence is so unbelievable they should be in jail.

 

[Man o War]

They were deluding themselves thinking that there was no permanent damage and that she was young and healthy and would just wake up eventually. That would have been true if they were monitoring her closely and immediately treated her LAST or whatever, caused her initial hypoxia/PEA/asystole, but they were busy getting a sandwich and hitting the head while the block set up. I’m sure the alarms were all turned off as well, because they’re annoying to the surgeon. If I was responsible for something like that I’m not sure I could live with my guilt. The degree of negligence is so unbelievable they should be in jail.

This is why I’m convinced something is/was wrong with this guy. This is so egregious I can’t even fathom a mentally normal, unimpaired person doing it.

 

[IMGASMD]

This is why I’m convinced something is/was wrong with this guy. This is so egregious I can’t even fathom a mentally normal, unimpaired person doing it.

Didn’t he do it twice?

 

[coffeebythelake]

Didn’t he do it twice?

Unclear what the circumstances were thr first time around. But yes, this is his second time having a healthy elective surgery patient die which should be eyebrow raising

Independent CRNAs. 4:1 ratio you wouldn't know what the hell he is doing. You assume there will be some basic competency and sense. But in a busy practice you might just be there to put out fires. I imagine something like this would never happen if he was supervised. But having said that I wouldn't ever want to supervise a guy like Rex Meeker. Would you?

 

[coffeebythelake]

Family awarded settlement after teen dies in Colorado following breast augmentation surgery - East Idaho News

DENVER, Colorado (KRDO) — The family of Emmalyn Nguyen was recently awarded $2 million after the 18-year-old got a botched breast augmentation in 2019. Insurance companies for plastic surgeon Dr. Geoffrey Kim and certified registered nurse anesthetist Rex Meeker, paid $1 million, respectively...

www.eastidahonews.com

Outcome of the malpractice. 2M settlement.

Rex Meeker and Geoffrey Kim refused to give up their personal assets and were both under insured.

 

[Urzuz]

Family awarded settlement after teen dies in Colorado following breast augmentation surgery - East Idaho News

DENVER, Colorado (KRDO) — The family of Emmalyn Nguyen was recently awarded $2 million after the 18-year-old got a botched breast augmentation in 2019. Insurance companies for plastic surgeon Dr. Geoffrey Kim and certified registered nurse anesthetist Rex Meeker, paid $1 million, respectively...

www.eastidahonews.com

Outcome of the malpractice. 2M settlement.

Rex Meeker and Geoffrey Kim refused to give up their personal assets and were both under insured.

Though I rarely say this when it comes to med mal cases, but the family should have gotten way more. $2M is the price of a young 18 year old who had a bright future and her whole life ahead of her? Pathetic.

 

[dannyboy1]

Family awarded settlement after teen dies in Colorado following breast augmentation surgery - East Idaho News

DENVER, Colorado (KRDO) — The family of Emmalyn Nguyen was recently awarded $2 million after the 18-year-old got a botched breast augmentation in 2019. Insurance companies for plastic surgeon Dr. Geoffrey Kim and certified registered nurse anesthetist Rex Meeker, paid $1 million, respectively...

www.eastidahonews.com

Outcome of the malpractice. 2M settlement.

Rex Meeker and Geoffrey Kim refused to give up their personal assets and were both under insured.

What does that mean “ refused “. is it voluntary?

 

[deleted126335]

Family awarded settlement after teen dies in Colorado following breast augmentation surgery - East Idaho News

DENVER, Colorado (KRDO) — The family of Emmalyn Nguyen was recently awarded $2 million after the 18-year-old got a botched breast augmentation in 2019. Insurance companies for plastic surgeon Dr. Geoffrey Kim and certified registered nurse anesthetist Rex Meeker, paid $1 million, respectively...

www.eastidahonews.com

Outcome of the malpractice. 2M settlement.

Rex Meeker and Geoffrey Kim refused to give up their personal assets and were both under insured.

Nobody consents to giving up their personal assets. They are seized or not seized in this case.

 

[coffeebythelake]

Nobody consents to giving up their personal assets. They are seized or not seized in this case.

Thry settled out of court. That's why

Going back to the facts of this case, if Rex Meeker really left an anesthetized patient unattended for 15 minutes that is fuxking criminal, he deserves to go to prison and have his assets seized.

 

[dannyboy1]

Article mentions that most of the settlement will be going to Medicaid. (Presumably to pay back for her long term care after the incident)Certainly doesn’t incentivize the family to pursue aggressively…..

 

[deleted126335]

Article mentions that most of the settlement will be going to Medicaid. (Presumably to pay back for her long term care after the incident)Certainly doesn’t incentivize the family to pursue aggressively…..

Very common these days. Awards for medical expenses in medmal now actually go to those who paid those medical expenses. This has actually helped make lawsuits less economically appealing to plaintiffs and their attorneys.

 

[dhb]

1 mil from insurance and 0 out of pocket is pretty cheap for a clean kill.

 

[chessknt]

California has Medmal cap and once the insurance is tapped out trying to collect personal assets from a judgement is notoriously challenging. I can imagine if the lawyers didn’t charge more than they would ever hope to collect it would have been pursued but now the only recourse left is the medical/nursing boards.

 

[coffeebythelake]

The manslaughter story should be here

 

[TheLoneWolf]

The manslaughter story should be here

Here you are

Colorado plastic surgeon arrested in teen patient’s death after botched surgery

Emmalyn Nguyen died 14 months after her breast augmentation procedure in August 2019, in which she suffered a brain injury due to a problem with anesthesia.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[coffeebythelake]

Hopeful that a conviction would mean her family can seize their assets. What happened isn't malpractice. This is criminal.

 

[vector2]

Here you are

Colorado plastic surgeon arrested in teen patient’s death after botched surgery

Emmalyn Nguyen died 14 months after her breast augmentation procedure in August 2019, in which she suffered a brain injury due to a problem with anesthesia.

www.nbcnews.com

"
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday that an arrest warrant for Dr. Geoffrey Kim, 52, was obtained in Nguyen’s death, “after a lengthy criminal investigation.”

He’s been charged with first-degree aggravated assault and criminally negligent homicide.

He turned himself into authorities accompanied by his attorney Wednesday, was booked and after released on bond, the sheriff’s office said.


Rex Meeker, a nurse anesthetist, is also charged with manslaughter and a warrant has been issued for his arrest."


Remind me, wasn't this an unrecognized goosing leading to eventual hypoxic arrest? Seems like the charges should've been reversed in that case.

 

[dpmd]

"
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday that an arrest warrant for Dr. Geoffrey Kim, 52, was obtained in Nguyen’s death, “after a lengthy criminal investigation.”

He’s been charged with first-degree aggravated assault and criminally negligent homicide.

He turned himself into authorities accompanied by his attorney Wednesday, was booked and after released on bond, the sheriff’s office said.


Rex Meeker, a nurse anesthetist, is also charged with manslaughter and a warrant has been issued for his arrest."


Remind me, wasn't this an unrecognized goosing leading to eventual hypoxic arrest? Seems like the charges should've been reversed in that case.

Left alone for some period of time after having been given meds then they both come in to find her dead and don't call 911 for 5 hours. I imagine the anesthetist said let's call 911 and surgeon said no and that is why the charges were as they were, but just a guess.

 

[The Duck Knows]

"
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday that an arrest warrant for Dr. Geoffrey Kim, 52, was obtained in Nguyen’s death, “after a lengthy criminal investigation.”

He’s been charged with first-degree aggravated assault and criminally negligent homicide.

He turned himself into authorities accompanied by his attorney Wednesday, was booked and after released on bond, the sheriff’s office said.


Rex Meeker, a nurse anesthetist, is also charged with manslaughter and a warrant has been issued for his arrest."


Remind me, wasn't this an unrecognized goosing leading to eventual hypoxic arrest? Seems like the charges should've been reversed in that case.

I don’t remember if those details ever were made public. I think a few of us wondered about that vs bronchospasm or laryngospasm.

But either way, the criminal aspect was that they didn’t call 911 and worried more about covering for themselves instead of trying to save her. I doubt it would have changed anything, but telling her parents she was just slow to wake from anesthesia when they knew she had an anoxic brain injury and coded? That’s just evil.

 

[CHARLESTONMMM]

This is incredibly sad. An unnecessary surgery and an incompetent nurse anesthetist. Here is an important lesson for all the surgeons who are fine with a solo CRNA performing your patients anesthesia. You are ultimately responsible. A solo MD or the ACT model and this girl would be alive right now.

 

[coffeebythelake]

This is incredibly sad. An unnecessary surgery and an incompetent nurse anesthetist. Here is an important lesson for all the surgeons who are fine with a solo CRNA performing your patients anesthesia. You are ultimately responsible. A solo MD or the ACT model and this girl would be alive right now.

I dont know if you can necessarily say Rex Meeker is representative of all CRNAs, and hence a solo MD or ACT would have prevented this. Clearly the standard of care was not met in this case. I agree that Rex Meeker is incompetent and dangerous, and should never be allowed to touch a patient again.

 

[IMGASMD]

I dont know if you can necessarily say Rex Meeker is representative of all CRNAs, and hence a solo MD or ACT would have prevented this. Clearly the standard of care was not met in this case. I agree that Rex Meeker is incompetent and dangerous, and should never be allowed to touch a patient again.

I also hope that the family will come after Meeker for malpractice and everything he’s worth……

 

[HemeOncHopeful19]

Though I rarely say this when it comes to med mal cases, but the family should have gotten way more. $2M is the price of a young 18 year old who had a bright future and her whole life ahead of her? Pathetic.

I realize this part of the thread is old but figured I would add for future reference that I think Colorado limits medical malpractice to $1 million for total damages, so the family did get the state maximum from each person involved.

 

[coffeebythelake]

I realize this part of the thread is old but figured I would add for future reference that I think Colorado limits medical malpractice to $1 million for total damages, so the family did get the state maximum from each person involved.

For malpractice. But this criminal case opens the door for a civil suit that goes beyond malpractice.

No sane or competent CRNA would abandon their patient. But I take objection to how the AANA and nursing boards basically give people like Rex Meeker a pass when outcomes like this happen. No accountability. It is not OK

 

[nimbus]

I don’t remember if those details ever were made public. I think a few of us wondered about that vs bronchospasm or laryngospasm.

But either way, the criminal aspect was that they didn’t call 911 and worried more about covering for themselves instead of trying to save her. I doubt it would have changed anything, but telling her parents she was just slow to wake from anesthesia when they knew she had an anoxic brain injury and coded? That’s just evil.

At the time, there was some conjecture that this may have been LAST too. There was a description that she was given medications, (maybe local?), then left alone for 15min when she was found in cardiac arrest.

 

[kidthor]

For malpractice. But this criminal case opens the door for a civil suit that goes beyond malpractice.

No sane or competent CRNA would abandon their patient. But I take objection to how the AANA and nursing boards basically give people like Rex Meeker a pass when outcomes like this happen. No accountability. It is not OK

That's my impression too - malpractice in CO is limited to a total of 1 million but here with criminal acts outside pure medical negligence there is certainly room for battery, wrongful death, and of course conspiracy. These guys conspired to lie to the family, delay transfer to a hospital, and then this behavior fully eliminated any chance for recovery (there was probably little chance anyway, but the conspiracy ensured it). The damages could be essentially unlimited.

 

[coffeebythelake]

That's my impression too - malpractice in CO is limited to a total of 1 million but here with criminal acts outside pure medical negligence there is certainly room for battery, wrongful death, and of course conspiracy. These guys conspired to lie to the family, delay transfer to a hospital, and then this behavior fully eliminated any chance for recovery (there was probably little chance anyway, but the conspiracy ensured it). The damages could be essentially unlimited.

First it is patient abandonment.
Then it is patient kidnapping.
Crazy.

 

[deleted875186]

For malpractice. But this criminal case opens the door for a civil suit that goes beyond malpractice.

No sane or competent CRNA would abandon their patient. But I take objection to how the AANA and nursing boards basically give people like Rex Meeker a pass when outcomes like this happen. No accountability. It is not OK

I find it most interesting that a manslaughter case against meeker is being pursued, while the state nursing board literally commended him in a job well done. Hopefully this comes out and gets attention. What exactly is the purpose of the nursing board, to just high five each other?

 

[jwk]

That's my impression too - malpractice in CO is limited to a total of 1 million but here with criminal acts outside pure medical negligence there is certainly room for battery, wrongful death, and of course conspiracy. These guys conspired to lie to the family, delay transfer to a hospital, and then this behavior fully eliminated any chance for recovery (there was probably little chance anyway, but the conspiracy ensured it). The damages could be essentially unlimited.

So TOTAL damages in Colorado are limited to $1M, not just non-economic damages??? I'm sure this girls costs for hospital and LTAC care were far beyond whatever they received after the attorneys got their contingency fee. I'm as tort-reform favorable as most, but actual damages in a case like this should be covered.

 

[coffeebythelake]

I find it most interesting that a manslaughter case against meeker is being pursued, while the state nursing board literally commended him in a job well done. Hopefully this comes out and gets attention. What exactly is the purpose of the nursing board, to just high five each other?

Not sure if you mixed up Rex Meeker and that dweeb Tory from Lifeguard Anesthesia. With Rex, he was not allowed to practice as a CRNA but was allowed to keep his nursing license. I don't think they said he did a job well done..

 

[IMGASMD]

Not sure if you mixed up Rex Meeker and that dweeb Taylor from Lifeguard Anesthesia. With Rex, he was not allowed to practice as a CRNA but was allowed to keep his nursing license. I don't think they said he did a job well done..

Didn’t he do this once before? So the second time they only took his ability to practice as a crna?!

“Meeker, the nurse anesthetist, was involved in a similar situation in 2007. He served as the nurse anesthetist for Paula Harty, of Silverthorne, who was also undergoing a breast augmentation. According to a 2009 lawsuit filed in that case, Harty suffered low blood pressure and a slow heart rate during the procedure which were unrecognized and led to cardiac arrest and severe brain damage.”

 

[coffeebythelake]

Didn’t he do this once before? So the second time they only took his ability to practice as a crna?!

“Meeker, the nurse anesthetist, was involved in a similar situation in 2007. He served as the nurse anesthetist for Paula Harty, of Silverthorne, who was also undergoing a breast augmentation. According to a 2009 lawsuit filed in that case, Harty suffered low blood pressure and a slow heart rate during the procedure which were unrecognized and led to cardiac arrest and severe brain damage.”

Yes Rex Meeker did have 2 presumably healthy patients die, and he was allowed to keep his crna license the first time. That's why I said he got a pass from the AANA and nursing boards. With Tory from Lifeguard Anesthesia they specifically told him job well done after setting a patients mouth on fire.

 

[deleted875186]

Yes Rex Meeker did have 2 presumably healthy patients die, and he was allowed to keep his crna license the first time. That's why I said he got a pass from the AANA and nursing boards. With Taylor from Lifeguard Anesthesia they specifically told him job well done after setting a patients mouth on fire.

Yes I confused meeker and the other case.

 

[coffeebythelake]

Yes I confused meeker and the other case.

It's hard to keep track of all these ****ed up CRNA stories!!

 

[IMGASMD]

It's hard to keep track of all these ****ed up CRNA stories!!

Meeker

Cosmetic surgery leaves teen brain damaged, mother ‘just wants daughter back’

THORNTON, C.O. — A Colorado family has filed a lawsuit against a prominent doctor and a nurse anesthetist saying after their daughter suffered two cardiac arrests and brain damage during cosmetic s…

pix11.com

Lifeguard anestheia

Lawsuits filed against Arizona nurse anesthetist after two dental deaths, fire in mouth

An Arizona nurse anesthetist is facing multiple lawsuits after two of his patients died in separate dental procedures within a year.

www.abc15.com

““I have to tell you Dr. Richmond, I am sorry. You have been through hell to say it bluntly,” said Fountain, who’s also a certified nurse anesthetist”

 

[Proudfather94]

It seems like they never would have been charged if that girl didn't die. A whole specialty was made to deal with a patient who is sedated. They don't make specialties for nothing so why didn't the nurse take their job seriously. Common sense would imply that means that every second is important when someone is under. Why tf would someone leave a sedated patient alone for 15 minutes then! I haven't even started medical school yet and I know that after a few minutes of oxygen deprivation permanent brain damage starts to happen. If that nurse cannot understand something this simple to protect his patients he shouldn't be doing any kind of patient care at all.

I hope that family can sue the nursing board and the freaking state for that. That shows they have no regard for patient safety. If he can leave a pt that's sedated unattended he would have no qualms hanging a bag of blood and immediately leaving the room or not grabbing vitals on a person getting iron. "Why didn't you wait for the heprin results to come back before you hung that new bag of heprin? You caused them to have a stroke" "how else am I going to eat my bagel! You told me I couldn't eat it at bedside it's your fault!"

 

[Vandalia]

Hopeful that a conviction would mean her family can seize their assets. What happened isn't malpractice. This is criminal.

To start with, I am not a lawyer, so this is my barely educated reply. This is nothing new for most of the people here, but for the youngsters:

If they are convicted of felonies in Colorado, the judge must order restitution. However, restitution is limited to actual expenses. While a defendant can be required to reimburse the victim's insurer, it is not clear what would happen when the defendant's insurer paid for expenses.

Even with additional charges, it will essentially be impossible to get around the med-mal caps. Otherwise, lawyers would do that all the time. If it involved "health care judgement" in any way, it has to be a med-mal action. Slip on a wet spot on the floor on the way in, that is a separate tort. Slip on a wet spot if a physician/nurse asks you to walk for a gait test, then that is med-mal.

Finally, with torts it is "speak now or forever hold your peace." That is why they shotgun name everyone who might possibly be involved in a case. You can't come back later and say "oh, we missed something." In addition any statute of limitations would have already passed.

Bottom line, the caps are the caps, and it is certain that whoever ended up paying the medical bills gets paid first.

““I have to tell you Dr. Richmond, I am sorry. You have been through hell to say it bluntly,” said Fountain, who’s also a certified nurse anesthetist”

With my involvement with state medical boards, this is not at all unusual. Unless you are dealing with someone who sexually assaulted a patient, board members are generally incredibly sympathetic to physicians at the hearing. We had one old radiologist who did residency before cross-sectional imaging, and who was missing literal "textbook cases." Everyone went on for a long time to acknowledge his past contributions, how hard it was to learn new technologies, how medicine isn't easy ... but you are literally killing people so no more cross-sectional imaging. If you want to read something, it has to be all plain films. I believe he got the hint and retired.

Common sense would imply that means that every second is important when someone is under. Why tf would someone leave a sedated patient alone for 15 minutes then! I haven't even started medical school yet and I know that after a few minutes of oxygen deprivation permanent brain damage starts to happen. If that nurse cannot understand something this simple to protect his patients he shouldn't be doing any kind of patient care at all.

It happens. Just happened to come across this story. An anesthesiologist in Miami left a patient unventilated for 2-9 minutes resulting in death.

Florida Accuses Doctor of Malpractice

The board complaint contains more details, but the document itself can't be linked. A Florida license search will bring it up. The 2-9 minutes without ventilation is from the board complaint.

To be clear there is no comparison between the linked case and the case in this thread. I brought it up in reference to the quote: Things happen. Anyone who has done medicine for a while repeats the phrase, "There but for the grace of God goes I ..." Even if they are an atheist.

 

[coffeebythelake]

@Vandalia, fundamentally this is a discussion about what is a medical error, what is malpractice, and what goes beyond malpractice and is criminal. In of itself, the (presumed hypoxemic) cardiac arrest and resuscitation could be construed as malpractice. The reckless patient abandonment by Rex Meeker and the subsequent joint decision by Meeker and Kim to hold an incapacitated person against their will at a clinic for hours instead of transferring to a tertiary care center after cardiac arrest is probably criminal. (Any reasonable person would expect 911 to be called and higher acuity care in this situation). And now that the patient died due to those acts, this is manslaughter. The prosecutors seem to hold this belief.

I do not know the specific laws in Colorado and we will have to see how things play out in the courtroom going forward. You might be right about economic damages from a civil suit, but my assumption is that since this case goes beyond malpractice it wouldnt be limited to malpractice damages only. Malpractice isn't the end-all-be-all, and it doesn't cover acts outside scope of practice. You believe differently.

You claim that lawyers would go around medmal caps "all the time" but I ask you: how many other cases do you know where the breach of care is so egregious and knowingly reckless that the healthcare provider is charged with a felony? Not that many. This is why we look at this case with such interest.

It happens. Just happened to come across this story. An anesthesiologist in Miami left a patient unventilated for 2-9 minutes resulting in death.

yes this would be malpractice. He forgot to turn on the ventilator and the patient died. If the anesthesiologist left the patient unattended for 15 minutes during this crucial period of patient transfer or intended to harm the patient by knowingly leaving the ventilator disconnected that would be manslaughter or murder.

 

[ValentineD]

I suspect that the attempted cover-up was what caused this duo to catch charges. I've seen no shortage of low IQ behavior in my time in healthcare, but it typically doesn't cause an individual to catch charges unless there is malicious intent behind those actions.

 

[coffeebythelake]

I suspect that the attempted cover-up was what caused this duo to catch charges. I've seen no shortage of low IQ behavior in my time in healthcare, but it typically doesn't cause an individual to catch charges unless there is malicious intent behind those actions.

CRNA Rex Meeker is being charged with reckless manslaughter. Dr Kim is being charged with 1st degree aggravated assault and criminally negligent homicide.

Plastic surgeon facing charges in teen's death misled ER doctor, affidavit says

Dr. Geoffrey Kim and former nurse anesthetist Rex Meeker face charges in the death of 18-year-old Emmalyn Nguyen.

www.google.com

According to this news report, Dr Kim did not want to call 911 or have the patient transferred to the hospital leading to significantly delayed care, misled family about Emmalyn needing more time to "wake up from the anesthesia" and misled the ER physician about the circumstances of the cardiac arrest further delaying care and management.

 

[geauxg8rs]

What does that mean “ refused “. is it voluntary?

It makes it seem like they asked him and he said no thanks

 

[coffeebythelake]

It makes it seem like they asked him and he said no thanks

We called it here. Post 9, 17, 38, and others. For a while it didnt seem like the prosecutors were going to pursue criminal charges. The incident happened, the death happened, the malpractice settlement happened, with seemingly little repercussion for those involved. Sweat them with prison time and hopefully with more monetary damages. Seems like Meeker and Kim were already blaming each other for what happened. I expect them to plea out to lesser charges (reckless endangerment easy to prove, felony unlawful restraint, involuntary manslaughter by little stretch) but this would be enough to end their professional careers.

 

[Proudfather94]

View attachment 350520View attachment 350521

Rex Meeker is being charged with reckless manslaughter. Dr Kim is being charged with 1st degree aggravated assault and criminally negligent homicide.

Plastic surgeon facing charges in teen's death misled ER doctor, affidavit says

Dr. Geoffrey Kim and former nurse anesthetist Rex Meeker face charges in the death of 18-year-old Emmalyn Nguyen.

www.google.com

According to this news report, Dr Kim did not want to call 911 or have the patient transferred to the hospital leading to significantly delayed care, misled family about Emmalyn needing more time to "wake up from the anesthesia" and misled the ER physician about the circumstances of the cardiac arrest further delaying care and management.

Meeker just looks dead inside and Kim has his head up high like a pompous jerk. Matches what happened, Meeker didn't care and Kim was too proud to admit that he was in a situation that he couldn't control.

 

[coffeebythelake]

Meeker just looks dead inside and Kim has his head up high like a pompous jerk. Matches what happened, Meeker didn't care and Kim was too proud to admit that he was in a situation that he couldn't control.

In a way, I feel bad for Rex Meeker. It seems that after the cardiac arrest and ROSC he wanted to call 911 but was overruled by Kim. Meeker looks like he has aged horribly. I think a lot of stress and regret from what happened. Kim looks like a sociopath with that half smug look.

 

[Proudfather94]

In a way I feel bad for Rex Meeker. He looks like he has aged horribly. No doubt a lot of stress and regret from what happened. Kim looks like a sociopath with that half smug look.

He killed someone before I bet his woe comes from having to give up his CRNA license rather than over the girl he murdered. I bet he didn't care anymore before that surgery he should have just retired. Yeah Kim has way too much pride looking like he's mad they're wasting his time.

 

[HemeOncHopeful19]

He killed someone before I bet his woe comes from having to give up his CRNA license rather than over the girl he murdered. I bet he didn't care anymore before that surgery he should have just retired. Yeah Kim has way too much pride looking like he's mad they're wasting his time.

I will say according to the court documents at least the CRNA suggested calling 911. I think that may end up being why the doc got extra charges but we’ll see.

 

[The Duck Knows]

22CR388 Kim Geoffrey.pdf

ARAPAHOE DISTRICT COURT, ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO DATE FILED: February 14, 2022 10:05 AM. AFFIDAVIT OF PROBABLE CAUSE FOR ARREST WARRANT. I, Investigator Jamie Wright, of lawful age and being first sworn upon oath, state that I have probable cause for believing that: KIM, GEOFFREY S DOB...

www.docdroid.net

Not sure if this has been posted yet. Arrest affidavit for Kim. The most information I’ve seen to this point. This makes it seem like Meeker was present the entire time but failed to diagnose cardiac arrest.

A few things stick out:
- The circulator noticed the cyanosis and was unable to palpate pulses shortly after draping. Not sure what monitors were utilized. I suspect none, but I can’t imagine why.
- Gave some propofol (illegible), 175 mcg of Fent, and 4 mg Versed. Then gave decadron and Labetalol? Yet his documented BP was 110/60?
- Reaffirms my belief that paper charting is sketchy. Maybe some of y’all disagree.
- They got pretty desperate for her to wake up. Multiple doses of flumazenil and narcan.
- Meeker and the other staff are weak. Kim is a psycho POS. I don’t give much credit for saying you wanted to call 911 but let Kim talk you out of it. And Kim straight up lied to EMS saying they called 911 when she arrested. It also sounds like he called the patient’s mother several times to see how she was doing.
- It’s telling that EMS instantly demanded that she be intubated for airway protection before they would transport her. MS3 level knowledge there.
- The anesthesiologist gave plenty of great, succinct points of failure. His differential was LAST vs obstruction. No intralipid given. The last 1-2 pages are especially straightforward. Bullet after bullet of failure. Some great learning points (beyond the obvious hypoxia is bad and cardiac arrest requires hospitalization)

 

[OptionOffense]

Everything happened at approximately 1430 hours
- CPR was performed at this time
- He turned around and EMMALYN’s lips and her arms were blue
- He tilted EMMALYN’s head back to open her airway

this tells me he tried to do a GA w/o an airway and she obstructed. The above is Meeker talking.

This case should be plastered across news media. Moreover, it should be showed to all
politicians in favor of AA legislation in all 50 states. Had an Medical Doctor specializing in anesthesia (not a nurse doctor, but a real one) he/she would have been alone or with an AA and this would not have happened. That is a fact
www.anesthetist.org- the future of the Anesthesia Care Team.

 

[BLADEMDA]

This case is proof that the Physician will be held liable for the actions/inactions of the Independent CRNA. A jury will have a very hard time not blaming the physician in the room for the bad outcome. When I review this case I see gross liability on the part of both Meeker and Kim but if Kim had hired a real Anesthesiologist with experience this death would never have occurred.

My only objection to the so-called "expert" was stating he has never seen or given more than 1 dose of a reversal agent. That is simply incorrect. Many times I have titrated Narcan at 40 ug-160 ug to patients during my career. Twice, I administered 2 doses of Flumazenil 0.2 mg IV to patients given high doses of Versed. A better statement would be "it is highly unlikely a healthy 18 year old girl would need more than 1 reversal dose given the amount of drugs on board at the time."

Typically, inexperienced midlevels can overdo the opioids or benzos but there are times where elderly patients may need some reversal agents even from low dose opioids/benzos.

When so called experts make these bold statements it just shows a lack of high volume clinical experience one obtains over 3 plus decades covering multiple rooms with many patients, particularly the ASA 3 and 4 cases.

FYI, Mr. Meeker turns 71 years old this April so his days of practicing anesthesia should have probably ended a few years ago; my hunch is that Mr. Meeker will plead this down to 6 months or less or even probation.

CRNAs Can Practice Independently in Colorado

After some legal skirmishing between the courts and doctors, certified registered nurse anesthetists will not need to be supervised by a physician, according to this article on Nurse.com. This upheld previous rulings to that effect from the lower courts, and also serves to confirm that the former

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