By Kim Se-jeong
The National Forensic Service (NFS) said Monday that a perforation found in the small intestines of the late singer Shin Hae-chul was likely to have been caused during an operation on Oct. 17.
This indicates that Shin’s death might have been caused by surgical error.
After performing an autopsy, forensic scientist Choi Young-sik told reporters, “An initial examination showed the perforation appears to have been from the operation.”
Choi said the final results of the autopsy would be available next week.
The autopsy was performed at the request of Shin’s family. His wife Yoon Won-hee has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Kang Se-hoon, president and chief surgeon of Seoul Sky Hospital, claiming her husband’s death was caused by medical malpractice.
Depending on the results, Kang may face criminal charges, police said.
Officers from Songpa raided the hospital last week, and are currently examining medical records from the hospital and the Asan Medical Center, where Shin arrived unconscious days after Kang operated on him.
Shin was pronounced dead on Oct. 27 at the medical center, which said the direct cause was cerebral hypoxia ― oxygen failing to reach the brain.
According to KCA Entertainment, Shin’s body was delivered to the NFS’s Seoul branch at 9:30 a.m.
The autopsy was begun at 11 a.m. with three forensic scientists handling the body and two witnesses ― a lawyer representing Shin’s family and a medical doctor ― present. The body was returned to the medical center after the autopsy.
On Sunday, Shin’s family presented medical records, which showed a surgeon from Asan hospital discovered a one-centimeter perforation in Shin’s small intestine, to the police.
When he made his incision, food waste and fluid were leaking from the perforation, the records showed.
Kang treated Shin for intestinal adhesion and obstruction on Oct. 17. Previously Shin also had an adjustable lap-band operation, a type of weight loss surgery, under Kang in 2009.
Medical experts say intestinal adhesions are common for abdominal surgery patients. It can happen right after the surgery or several years later, which appears to be the case for Shin.
On Oct. 18, one day after the surgery, he was released from hospital, but was soon hospitalized again due to excruciating pain. On Oct. 22, he was transferred to Asan Medical Center.
TV channels are running special shows commemorating Shin, with his fellow singers and other celebrity friends remembering him.