Kagawa Prefectural Central Hospital to compensate patient for complications during jaw surgery

Written with extracts translated from Jiji

March 11th 2020

TAKAMATSU, Kagawa Pref – Kagawa Prefectural Central Hospital announced on March 11 that it has decided to pay 216.71 million yen as damages to a patient who was left with a sequela due to complications during surgery for a jaw deformity.

The hospital has submitted a bill for approval to the County Council. At a press conference, Dr. Masamitsu Kawauchi apologized, “I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the patient and her family.”

Jaw deformity is a condition in which the upper and lower teeth are disengaged due to abnormalities in the shape, position, and size of the upper and lower jaws. The woman was in her thirties and underwent surgery to cut the maxillary and mandibular bones to correct the gap. Two hours after returning to the general ward, her airway was blocked and she was temporarily in cardiopulmonary arrest. After resuscitation, her higher brain dysfunction remained.