Police have launched an investigation after a 27-month-old girl suffered a cardiac arrest during general anesthesia at an eye hospital in Ulsan and remained unconscious for five days.

According to authorities, at around 11:26 AM on October 2, an emergency call was received stating that a 2-year-old girl, identified as A, had gone into cardiac arrest while under general anesthesia at an eye hospital in Jung-gu, Ulsan.

The child was transferred to a nearby hospital while receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and recovered her heartbeat during emergency treatment.

She was subsequently moved to a university hospital in the area for treatment, but has remained unresponsive as of today, October 6.

At the time, the toddler was scheduled to undergo surgery to treat entropion, a condition where her eyelashes turned inward and irritated her cornea.

The child's guardian filed a complaint against hospital officials on October 4.

Police have booked the individuals involved on charges including professional negligence resulting in injury and secured medical records such as nursing and anesthesia logs.

Authorities are investigating the circumstances of the accident and whether the treatment administered at the time was appropriate.

Although a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera is installed in the operating room, the hospital claims that the footage from the time of the incident was not recorded.

Police are also verifying whether actual footage exists and whether it was recorded.

A hospital official explained the results of their internal review, stating, "The dosage of the anesthetic was normal, but we understand the accident occurred because oxygen was not properly supplied during the anesthesia process."

The official added, "The responsible anesthesiologist also admitted to the mistake and met with the guardian together to explain the cause. We have provided the materials to the police, are cooperating with the investigation, and will do our utmost to help the child recover."