Shenzhen, June 24, 2026 – A 70-year-old man in Shenzhen died from septicemia the day after undergoing minimally invasive surgery at a top-tier hospital in Shenzhen due to lower limb vascular occlusion. The family accused the hospital of negligence, stating that the patient began experiencing abdominal pain during the surgery and his condition deteriorated continuously for 28 hours post-operation without receiving effective examination and treatment, ultimately leading to his death.
According to reports from Modern Express and Southern Metropolis Daily, on January 10th this year, Mr. Mo, a 74-year-old resident of Shenzhen, went to the South Campus of Shenzhen Nanshan District People’s Hospital due to pain in his right lower leg. The next day, he was diagnosed with lower limb vascular occlusion. Doctors recommended minimally invasive surgery to avoid the risk of amputation.
On the afternoon of the 13th, the hospital performed a lower limb angiography surgery for Mr. Mo, but midway through, the surgery was aborted citing high difficulty and risk, awaiting further consultation.
“Watching the video footage, I realized my father was already complaining of stomach pains on the operating table,” said Mr. Mo’s daughter. After the surgery was stopped, her father continued to experience abdominal pain for 28 hours without relief. The family requested consultations and a full abdominal CT scan multiple times during this period, but the hospital did not follow through.
It was not until 4 p.m. on the 14th that her father was sent for a full abdominal CT scan, which reported him to be in critical condition. By the time he was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit, severe acidosis and shock were already present, and he succumbed to death at 9:56 p.m. that evening due to septicemia, as indicated in the forensic medical report.
Ms. Mo believes it was a medical accident. After filing a complaint with the local health department, a technical appraisal report on medical accidents issued on April 30th by the Shenzhen Medical Association revealed three shortcomings in the hospital’s treatment process, including inadequate assessment of the patient’s condition and insufficient execution of the three-tier ward rounds system. According to video evidence, senior doctors did not make bedside visits on the 13th and 14th mornings.
The report also noted that the patient had severe systemic atherosclerosis, hypertension, old myocardial infarction, chronic renal insufficiency, and other serious illnesses, which formed the primary pathological basis for his death. There was a certain causal relationship between the hospital’s medical negligence and the patient’s death, but it was considered a minor factor. The conclusion was a first-degree major medical accident, with the hospital bearing a minor responsibility.
As per the “Classification Standard of Medical Accidents,” a first-degree major medical accident is defined as a medical accident where a patient’s death is directly caused by the negligence of medical staff, placing it at the highest level of medical accidents. In terms of liability division, “minor responsibility” refers to the main post-damage consequences of medical accidents being caused by other factors (such as the patient’s underlying diseases, physical condition, etc.), with medical negligence playing a subsidiary role.
Ms. Mo told Southern Metropolis Daily that she could not accept the result of the hospital bearing minor responsibility, arguing that the report overly emphasized her father’s underlying illnesses while disregarding the lack of any effective examination and treatment for 28 hours post-surgery. Moreover, the appraisal report mostly adopted the hospital’s unilateral statements, showing bias. For example, labeling “abdominal pain during surgery” as “abdominal pain after surgery,” and stating that the family “refused coronary CT angiography,” which is inconsistent with the facts.
Ms. Mo questioned, “An elderly person enters the hospital with stable vital signs, undergoes minimally invasive surgery, and dies the next day. Can the hospital completely absolve its responsibility by just pointing out the patient’s advanced age and underlying diseases?” For this reason, on June 2nd, Ms. Mo requested a reevaluation.
On June 22nd, officials from Nanshan District Health Bureau responded to Modern Express that they had initiated an investigation into Nanshan District People’s Hospital and related medical staff regarding the accident. They assured that the family would be informed of the final outcome of the investigation at the earliest convenience.
The relevant person in charge from Nanshan District People’s Hospital responded to Southern Metropolis Daily, stating that they respect the appraisal conclusion and opinions, and mentioned that the hospital is still in continuous communication and negotiation with the family.
Shenzhen Nanshan District People’s Hospital’s official website indicates that the hospital was established in 1946 and is a teaching base of higher medical institutions in Guangdong Province. In 2011, it was upgraded to a top-tier Grade A comprehensive hospital.