A doctor suspected of negligence in the death of a 12-year-old girl was sent to prosecutors Sunday. He apparently failed to inform his surgical team of a change in method during the girl's operation, investigative sources said Sunday.
As a result, the team at the Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital was unable to understand why the girl's condition abruptly changed and to prevent it from worsening, the sources said. The incident occurred in March 2001.
Investigators found that the doctor, Kazuki Sato, switched blood-pumping methods during the girl's heart surgery after the first method failed.