A Tokyo hospital reached an out-of-court settlement Monday with the parents of a 3-month-old boy who died after an artificial respiration circuit created by connecting two medical devices malfunctioned.
The settlement was reached with the mediation of the Tokyo High Court.
The parents had sought some 82 million yen in damages from Toshima Hospital, run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, in Itabashi Ward, and two medical equipment manufacturers. Monday's settlement is worth 53 million yen, according to sources.
The Tokyo District Court ruled last March that the two manufacturers were found to have violated the Product Liability Law by failing to provide proper instructions on the use of their equipment.
The court ruled the hospital was also to blame for failing to inspect the equipment properly prior to its use. The parents were awarded 50.6 million yen.
In March 2001, doctors at the hospital attached an anesthesia apparatus, but it did not function and the boy died 11 days later.