SINGAPORE - A 34-year-old medical doctor was charged in court on Tuesday after his alleged negligence during an aesthetic treatment caused a woman to die in 2019.
Chan Bingyi is accused of administering ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) to Ms Lau Li Ting, 31, intravenously when there was no need to do so.
The Singaporean also administered the substance "at too high a concentration and too quickly", according to court documents.
His alleged actions caused Ms Lau to develop EDTA toxicity, which led to her cardiac arrest and eventual death.
This is said to have happened on March 8, 2019, at around noon in Revival Medical and Aesthetics Centre at 90 Bras Basah Road.
EDTA is sometimes used as a medication for heavy metal toxicity. It is also a common ingredient in skin and body care products.
The Ministry of Health's database shows Chan is still registered as a medical practitioner. He graduated from the National University of Singapore in 2012.
The court heard that more charges will be tendered against Chan, who is out on $5,000 bail and will return to court on Nov 7.
Earlier reports of Ms Lau’s death said the property agent had fallen into a coma after receiving Botox treatment. Botox, a trademark registered to pharmaceutical giant Allergan, is often used to refer to similar aesthetic treatments.
When her family arrived at the hospital, doctors told them that her heart had stopped for some time and there was little activity in her brain.
She was on life support for five days before she died on March 13. Her family made a police report and reported the matter to MOH.
Ms Lau lived with her parents and three siblings, including two younger sisters.
In a statement on Tuesday, Dr David Loh, the president of the Society of Aesthetic Medicine (Singapore), said Botox does not contain EDTA.
“This unfortunate event had nothing to do with Botox. Chelation therapy, where EDTA is administered intravenously, is not a field within aesthetic medicine,” he said.
If convicted of causing Ms Lau's death by a negligent act not amounting to homicide, Chan can be jailed for up to two years and fined.
