WOMAN DIES AFTER LIPOSUCTION SURGERY.Byline: Associated Press A woman bled to death after doctors removed 20 pounds of fat in liposuction Liposuction Definition Liposuction, also known as lipoplasty or suction-assisted lipectomy, is cosmetic surgery performed to remove unwanted deposits of fat from under the skin. surgery, and state authorities want to suspend the doctors' licenses. The Medical Board of California says Dr. W. Earle Matory Jr., an Irvine plastic surgeon plastic surgeon A surgeon specialized in reconstruction or cosmetic enhancement of various body regions, most commonly the face–nose, chin, and cheeks, breasts and buttocks; PSs remove fat deposits through liposuction; PSs reduce scarring or disfigurement , and anesthesiologist Anesthesiologist A medical specialist who administers an anesthetic to a patient before he is treated. Mentioned in: Anesthesia, General, Appendectomy, Parathyroidectomy anesthesiologist Dr. Robert Hoo are a threat to public safety. On Wednesday, the board asked a judge to temporarily stop the doctors from practicing while regulators continue to seek suspensions. Judy Fernandez, 47, died March 17. Her blood pressure was low throughout the operation and her condition became serious after the liposuction, but the doctors didn't call 911 until two hours later, the medical board said. The doctors ``literally watched her die,'' Deputy Attorney General M. Gayle Askren wrote in court papers. Other doctors said 20 pounds of fat was an unusually high amount to remove. Fernandez was 5 feet 3 inches and 150 pounds before surgery. After undergoing the 10-1/2-hour operation at A New You Plastic Surgery Medical Group clinic, Fernandez was taken to Irvine Medical Center. She was not breathing and had no pulse when she arrived, and clear fluid was leaking from liposuction puncture wounds. ``This is a case of gross negligence An indifference to, and a blatant violation of, a legal duty with respect to the rights of others. Gross negligence is a conscious and voluntary disregard of the need to use reasonable care, which is likely to cause foreseeable grave injury or harm to persons, property, or , even criminal negligence The failure to use reasonable care to avoid consequences that threaten or harm the safety of the public and that are the foreseeable outcome of acting in a particular manner. , and extreme incompetence causing the death of an otherwise normal, healthy female,'' Dr. Robert Miner, an Orange County plastic surgeon, wrote. Matory refused to comment. Hoo's lawyer, Gilbert Jones, said his client ``performed acceptably throughout'' and was not responsible for the woman's death. During the surgery, her doctors also performed a mini-face lift and brow lift and used a laser to smooth skin on her face, neck and chest. Other plastic surgeons refused to discuss the Fernandez case but said that removing large amounts of fat at once can cause dangerous blood loss and fluid imbalance fluid imbalance Metabolism A relative ↑ or ↓ in intracellular or extracellular H2O. See Hypervolemia, Hypovolemia. . Liposuction is the most commonly performed cosmetic surgery cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery for cosmetic purposes, such as the improvement of the appearance of the face by removing wrinkles or reshaping the nose. in the country. The American Society of Plastic and Reconstruction Surgeons estimates 108,000 suction-assisted liposuctions are done a year by plastic surgeons, and uncounted other liposuctions are done by dermatologists or other specialists. |
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