Former Los Angeles-based anesthesiologist Stephen Kyo-Sung Kim, MD, was ordered to be released Dec. 4 following two years in prison in connection with a 2021 guilty plea to involuntary manslaughter in the death of a fellow physician during surgery, according to a Dec. 4 report from MyNewsLA.
Dr. Kim admitted to injecting himself with Demerol that he stole from the ASC while operating on orthopedic surgeon Mark Greenspan, MD, in 2017.
Dr. Kim has been in custody since December 2021. A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge ordered his release, giving him credit for time served and ordering him to pay $7,500 to Dr. Greenspan's family for funeral expenses.
Dr. Kim also agreed to never work in a medical facility again in any capacity. He previously surrendered his medical license.
Dr. Kim admitted to using narcotics stolen from various ASCs prior to and during patient procedures for two to three years, according to the report.
Blood and urine samples collected from Dr. Kim following Dr. Greenspan's death indicated that he had a significant amount of Demerol and traces of fentanyl in his system. He admitted to using Demerol around 150 times prior to or during other medical procedures.