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Doctor Who Caused Woman to Die During Botox Treatment Was Also Giving Expired Medication

2022-12-06 , 7:30 pm

If you’ve done any cosmetic procedure in the past, you’ll know that finding a good and reputable doctor is the most crucial part of the whole process.

And if you didn’t know that already, that’s something that you’ll definitely learn after reading this article.

After appearing in court due to his client passing away during Botox treatment, a doctor in Singapore is now facing multiple charges under the Health Products Act.

In particular, he has been found to have given clients expired medication. More recently, he was issued three more charges today (6 December). Two of the three pertain to expired medication he had with him.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Previous Charges for Patients’ Death

On 11 October this year, the doctor in question was charged in court for the first time.

The doctor, 34-year-old Chan Bingyi, was charged due to negligence while offering Botox procedures. He had apparently given his client, Ms Lau Li Ting, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) intravenously when it was not necessary.

EDTA, a medication that can treat heavy metal toxicity, is also found in many skin and body care products.

He did so on 8 March 2019, and Ms Lau passed away soon after that.

Ms Lau’s Death

After EDTA was administered to Ms Lau, 31, she developed EDTA toxicity. This caused her to go into cardiac arrest and eventually pass away.

Based on court documents, Chan had apparently given the EDTA to Ms Lau “at too high a concentration and too quickly” via intravenous methods.

This caused her to go into EDTA toxicity and then life support.

She then passed away on 13 March, five days after her procedure, after doctors declared that her heart had stopped beating and that a minimal amount of activity was found in her brain.

After her death, her family decided to file both a police report and a report with the Ministry of Health, prompting investigations.

EDTA Should Not Have Even been Administered by Chan Intravenously

And even if administering the EDTA too fast was a “mistake”, it seems like Chan’s decision to do so wasn’t.

Dr David Loh, the president of the Society of Aesthetic Medicine (Singapore), clarified in a previous statement that the administration of EDTA intravenously, which is known as chelation therapy, is actually “not a field within aesthetic medicine”.

Instead, chelation therapy is usually used when the injection helps remove heavy metals and minerals from the body via the bloodstream.

In chelation therapy, a chemical is injected into the bloodstream to remove heavy metals and minerals in the body.

Found With Different Expired Injections and Medications

In addition to his previous charges, three additional charges were handed to him in court today (6 December) after he was accused of having expired medication and injections in his possession.

In March 2019, he allegedly had expired injection ampoules of adrenaline and another heartburn drug stored at Revival Medical & Aesthetics Centre, which is located at Esplanade Xchange along Bras Basah Road.

He was also found with three 500g bottles of J-Cain lidocaine cream, an unregistered health product in Singapore, as well as 21 ml ampoules of adrenaline injections on 18 March of the same year.

It was noted that the lidocaine cream contained 10.56% lidocaine, which is considered a local anaesthetic as it can numb one’s nerve endings. It is also prescribed as a pain relief medication. According to the Health Science Authority (HSA), adverse side effects if one uses them excessively or unsuitably include low blood pressure and dizziness.

As for the injections, they had expired earlier that year on 30 January and also have serious side effects despite being used to increase lung efficiency and make patients feel more alert.

Known side effects of adrenaline injections include anxiety, nervousness, headache, fear, palpitations, sweating, nausea and vomiting, pale skin, shortness of breath, dizziness and
tremors.

He was found to have a 2ml injection of Shintamet on 25 March 2019. The injection had expired in October of the previous year.

Shintamet is an injection that contains 150mg/ml cimetidine, a drug used to relieve heartburn symptoms in a short-term manner. It can also cause headaches, diarrhoea and dizziness.

Still a “Medical Practitioner” in Singapore

As of now, Chan’s name is still included in the Singapore Medical Council’s database, meaning that he is still considered a medical practitioner in Singapore.

Records on the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) website also show that Chan was previously a director at Revival Medical (International) and Revival Medical (Singapore).

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Chan, whose pre-trial conference is slated for 11 January next year, is represented by Adrian Wee from Characterist law firm.

If Chan is found guilty of causing Ms Lau’s death by a negligent act not amounting to homicide, he may face up to two years in jail and a fine.

As for his charges under the Health Products Act for owning expired medication, he may face up to two years in jail and a maximum fine of $50,000 for each charge.