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TOKYO - Two doctors at Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital were arrested on suspicion on neglegence and destroying evidence Friday. The arrests were a result of aMarch 2001 heart operation on a 12-year-old girl that went awry and resulted in the girl's death.
The two doctors are Kazuki Sato (38), who operated the lung machine which malfuncyioned durring the operation, and Kazuhiro Seo (46), who was in charge of the operating team, and who later has been suspected of forcing team members to chance their logs and diaries about the operations after the face to cover up the mistakes and blatant neglegence which cost Akika Hirayanagi her life.
The Gunma girl was born with a hole in her heart which led to the operation. She passed away 3 days after falling into a coma durring the operation.
Toshiaki Hirayanagi, the father, has filed a criminal neglegence complaint with the Metropolitan Police Department against 6 members of the operation team.
This is the first case in Japan whenre a doctor is being sued for malpractice.
(Zone81 - Brandon Siefken)
