6-Month-Old Infant Injured During IV Line Management; Court Fines Nurse 5 Million Won for Potential Long-Term Sequelae

A nurse who accidentally severed a portion of an infant's pinky finger with medical scissors while organizing an IV line has been sentenced to a fine.

On the 8th of last month, Judge Seo Ji-won of the Seoul Southern District Court sentenced nurse A, who was indicted on charges of professional negligence resulting in injury, to a fine of 5 million won.

On December 9 of last year, the victim, a 6-month-old infant, visited a hospital in Seoul with their parents due to enteritis symptoms and received an enteritis diagnosis and an intravenous (IV) fluid prescription from a doctor.

At around 3:37 a.m. on the same day, nurse A inserted an IV needle into the infant's right hand, placed a support brace under the arm, secured it with a bandage, and administered fluids for approximately two hours and thirty minutes.

The accident occurred after the IV treatment concluded. At around 6:00 a.m., while organizing the IV line in the lobby in front of the nurse station on the third floor of the hospital, A used medical scissors to cut the bandage wrapped around the infant's right hand and arm.

During this process, A also severed the tip of the infant's right pinky finger. The infant sustained injuries requiring six weeks of medical treatment.

Consequently, A was brought to trial on charges of professional negligence resulting in injury.

The court stated that A had a duty of care to ensure that parts of the infant's body, such as fingers, were not damaged by the scissors' blades when using medical scissors to remove bandages.

Furthermore, the court judged that the accident, which led to the partial amputation of the infant's pinky finger, occurred because A neglected this duty of care, despite the fact that the bandage tape could have been safely removed by hand-peeling methods.

The court remarked, "Cutting off a part of a 6-month-old baby's pinky finger is a grave offense considering the severity of the injury and negligence, the treatment progress, and the possibility of future aftereffects," adding, "Not only the victim but also the parents must have suffered considerable mental anguish."

However, taking into consideration that A admitted to the crime, successfully reached a smooth settlement with the infant's parents who do not wish for punishment, and had no prior criminal record, the court sentenced A to a fine of 5 million won.

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]